The Void: Journey to Redemption
by Hairann
Summary: It only took him 500 years, but Sesshoumaru finally understands that he chose the wrong path. Now he will do anything to change the course of history, including seeking the help of the most inconceivable of allies. Join him on his journey to set right his mistakes in hopes of dissolving the void within his own heart. Now Complete!
1. Prologue

AN: Well folks the wait is over and I hereby welcome you to the sequel of The Void. I do not know how often I will get chapters out, but I will try to get them out quickly :). This story is dedicated to **NtvHawnGrl** whose suggestion of "A Journey of Redemption" was partially used in the title. And a special shot out to all of you who sent me in suggestions, there were many great ones and it made choosing just one really hard :). And of course, I want to thank everyone who waited, mostly patiently, for me to get started on this story. This story starts up right where the previous one ended...

And just to try something different, the scene changer is the initials of the story :).

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><p>Prologue:<p>

_Sesshoumaru continues to watch from the side lines as he has done for the last 500 years..._

It is something I have never said before, and no doubt never will again, but just this once; I made a mistake. What I thought to be the right and true path, seems was merely my pride ruling my decisions. I did not wish to follow in his footsteps, having spent my entire life claiming that they were what made him weak, and I never wished to be so myself. I wanted so much to prove that I was stronger, wiser than my sire only to help prove that he was.

What I saw as weakness was strength, truth was fiction, right was wrong. If there is anything I would wish for in this world, given the chance, it would be that I never made that mistake. More than anything I had blamed her for what had happened, had she not tried to intervene in saving Rin, neither of us would have ended up where we did. My ward was my responsibility to protect and by trying to do so herself, it was like she was accusing me of not being strong enough.

As if she were more capable than I and I hated her for it. While we were stranded in that void, I wanted to kill her and almost did every night as she slept, but something always intervened on her behalf. I decided later that it was the void itself working in her favor and for that, I hated the void that much more. If it had been possible to destroy it, I would have done so with my own hands. But like too many things since the day I met her, it slipped through my fingers.

I knew when I told her that I would do nothing about our son, that it would hurt her. Perhaps not as much as if I had physically harmed either of them, but it was painful for her all the same. And I wanted it to be. I may not be an innocent, but I would never take the life of the mother of my child, whether the birth had been welcomed or not. Hurting her emotionally was the only weapon left to me and I unsheathed it every chance I found.

I wanted her to suffer as I had for her actions, wanted her to understand that everything was her fault. The day our son was born, the whole reason I had shown up was to cause her fear, knowing she or the half-breed would be able to feel my presence just on the outskirts of their village. I wanted her to believe her life was in danger, know what it was like to never truly feel safe in the world. Know that whenever I wanted to I could take her life, even if it was not the truth.

I was there the day our son asked about me for the first time, though neither of them were aware, and heard her reply. That was the first time I found myself not wishing to cause her pain, the way she answered had been so respectful to me even after the way I had treated her. At first I simply believed her to be slow in the mind, but soon enough I learned that that was not the case. She was far more intelligent that I ever gave her credit for, even if I would not admit it to even myself.

She was wise far beyond her years and, sometimes, even mine. As each year passed and I watched her grow older, never did she speak against me, instead tried to make me understand that I too was missing out by keeping my distance. I fought so hard to keep my life as I believed it should be that it took me 500 years to realize it wasn't even what I really wanted. More so than my father, I had made a bigger mistake. I had abandoned my own son, my only child.

The day I stood before her grave, after watching her return to the past for the final time, as I stared down at the weather worn engraving upon her headstone, I knew exactly what I wanted and that I would do anything in my power to rewrite the course of history. That I would somehow make it back into the past to make the right choices, to do more than sit on the sidelines watching as their lives went by. To rid myself of the void that continued to follow me around just as it did her.

_TV:JTR_

Watching as Inuyasha and Inu-Takeshi disappeared from his sight, Sesshoumaru turned away, heading in another direction instead of following after them as he had intended to do in the first place. Unconcerned with human eyes being able to spot him at the speed he was traveling, he broke into a full run, racing toward some of the last remaining forestry miles away from town. Many years ago, he had heard whispers of a being that dwelled within them, powers unmatched by almost every other living creature.

The miles of streets and buildings passed him by completely unnoticed as they had nothing to do with his destination and paying them attention would only slow him down. And he couldn't slow down, it had already taken him too long to get to this point and he could not stand to wait a moment longer. For far too long he had been following the path he had chosen and now it was time he veered off of it. Even at the speed he traveled, his feet stopped the instant his mind told them to, finding himself standing mere feet before the forest he had been heading to.

Silently he stood there unmoving as he tried to find any sign of power in the air that would lead him toward the one he sought and soon found the slightest hint of it radiating around him. The power so weak he almost missed it. He knew it did not mean the one he sought was in fact weak, merely far enough away that the power was diminished. Paying the strength of the power no further mind, Sesshoumaru drew out his own power beneath his feet, creating a cloud for the first time in well over a hundred years.

With the invention of cars and very little open space left where he could use it without being spotted, he had found very little use for it. But now he had and as his fastest mode of transportation, he knew it would get him to his destination quickly. As he soared above the tree tops, Sesshoumaru could feel the rise in the strength of the power, ensuring him he was in fact going in the right direction. Soon spotting a cave that seemed to be where the power resided, Sesshoumaru touched down outside of its mouth, watching as the barrier surrounding it shimmered upon his approach.

Knowing the barrier would be unable to stop him, seeing as it was only there to keep those without power from being able to see the cave behind it, Sesshoumaru wasted no time in crossing its threshold and making his way into the cave. With each step he took, torches on either side of him began lighting themselves of the own accord; as though showing him the way. Dismissing the torches from his mind, Sesshoumaru continued deeper into the side of the mountain until he found the tunnel opening up into a much larger room.

Seated in the center, was a woman gently stroking the fire beside her with her back to him. Though she seemed to be bent with age, Sesshoumaru could see no outward signs of her true age and if he had not known any better, he would simply assume her to be in her early twenties. Though the rumors of her were enough to know that this was not true, as he himself had learned of her existence over fifty years ago. The moment seemed to drag on in silence as Sesshoumaru began to wonder if she had even noticed his presence, but soon enough he learned this was not the case.

"It," she began only to clear her throat, her voice coming out raw and unused. For a moment Sesshoumaru wondered just how long it had been since she had spoken out loud as it did not seem as though anyone else had been there in quite some time, but soon his curiosity was abandoned as she began to speak again. "It has been a very long time since I have felt a demon in my presence. I had almost begun to believe them to be long dead; pity. Since you are here, what is it you seek, demon?"

Ignoring the insult against him as it was not the first time those with holy powers looked down on his kind and if there was another he could have sought out, he would have already done so instead of coming here. There was no need to ruin his only hope to merely appease his pride by slaughtering her. "I have heard you to be the only one to have the power to do what is needed." Instead of answering, she turned harden eyes to him as she glanced her her shoulder, her earlier question repeated in the coldness of her eyes. "Time travel," he elaborated, ignoring the faint memory his mind was supplying him with. Knowing who she was did not matter to him at that moment.

"You are right, demon, I and I alone am able to do so, but I will not. One can not go into the past without altering history and therefore one should not try. And there is no need to go into the future for one of your kind, you simply need wait and you will arrive there eventually," she told him coolly before turning her attention back to the fire before her and beginning to stroke it once more. Sesshoumaru stood silently behind her for a long moment as he fought the desire to educate her on what happens when you deny a demon lord's request.

"And if altering history is exactly what I wish to do?" he voiced instead of the death threat on the tip of his tongue, drawing her attention back to him once more. Her eyes only settled on his form for a moment before she gestured for him to continue and turned back to her fire. "I seek a way back to the past to undo a mistake I made many years ago," he explained, growling a moment later when she had the gall to actually laugh at him.

Apparently unconcerned by his increasing anger, she simply questioned in a calm voice, "So even the great Lord Sesshoumaru makes mistakes?" Not hearing a response, she glanced back at him to find a confused expression marring his face before he quickly returned to his normal emotionless one. "Yes I know who you are, we have met in passing and I never forget an aura; not even after all these years. Now perhaps you can tell me exactly what it is you wish to change in the past," she prompted as she gestured to the other side of the fire having become tired of having to glance behind her.

Though he moved around to the other side, Sesshoumaru refused the offered seat and remained standing. "I have only made one mistake," he began, ignoring her mumbling about how she doubted that, "I have but one child and I have never been there for him, even after his mother asked me to be from what would be her death bed. I wish to go back and be a father to my son." For a long moment, she simply stared up at him in silence and Sesshoumaru began to think she was ignoring him, or perhaps had forgotten about him, but in truth she was thinking over his request.

"If, and I mean if, I decide to do this, to what point in time would you be looking to go back to? There are certain points in history that can not be altered for they are far more important than whether or not you get to play house," she warned, once again ignoring the growl that came from the demon lord before her, knowing he could not kill her. No one could and she had stopped fearing beings such as him many years ago.

"Right after we were released from the void, it would allow me to be there for the pregnancy as well," Sesshoumaru decided only to be met by her shaking her head at his request.

"That I can not do, there is no telling where you will be instead of where you need to be in order to kill Naraku. His death is far more important," she informed him, reminding him of her earlier warning.

"Very well, than just after he was defeated," he began only to find her shaking her head once more causing him to grow in frustration. "And why not? It will not effect his death if he's already dead."

"Any more stress on the mother and she might miscarry. The fear of what would happen to her friends was already bad enough on Kagome's pregnancy. You showing up out of the blue might be more than she could handle and it would make all of this pointless."

Dismissing the question of how she knew who the mother was out of his mind, as it really had no barring on his plan, Sesshoumaru decided to make things easier and get this over with quickly. "Perhaps then you can simply tell me the earliest point in history you can send me back to that will not undo what needs to be done and would also not put my son's life in danger."

"The birth of your son. It would have already started, but if you move quickly you should be able to get there in time to witness his birth. It all would depend on how far away you are at that moment," she informed him and quickly remembering that he was in fact on the hill over looking the village when she went into labor, he nodded his head in agreement. "You must understand that if I do this, you will not actually be traveling back in time.

"Two of the same being can not exist in the same point in history, it would only be your current consciousness that is transported back into your younger body. And even more importantly, you will only have one week. Seven days to do whatever you needed to do before the magic would fade away and your younger self would return to his own body. And whether you succeed or fail, your current consciousness would cease to exist as you will have changed your own history." Again he simply nodded his head in agreement.

Though he was upset that he would only get seven days and would be unable to stay there himself, he knew he would forget all about missing out if his plan worked. And if he failed, he could only hope the new present him would attempt the same once more. "Very well, let's say I do help you, what is in it for me? How do you plan to pay me for my services?" she questioned and having already expected her to ask this at some point, knowing nothing in life came for free, Sesshoumaru already had his answer ready.

"The one thing you have always wanted, your soul back," he informed her only to be met with startled eyes. "Yes, priestess, I know who you are. I too never forget a presence I have come across."

"You plan on killing my reincarnation? Because killing Kagome would be the only way for me to get my soul back," she reminded him, finding herself startled once more when he actually laughed out loud. It was humorless, but none the less, it was a strange sound coming from the emotionless demon lord.

"Kagome only lives for about 80 years. Once she dies naturally, you can have the soul back. You can have it for the same time she had it, but then it needs to be given the chance to be reborn. If not, Kagome may never been born in the first place and that is most certainly a moment in history that is far too important to be altered. Though your younger self will still have to wait, 80 years is nothing compared to the 500 you have waited."

As she sat there silently, she thought over the wisdom of his words. And though it was true that 80 was not very long, it would be 80 years she could spend with Inuyasha as a real woman. She would be given the chance to live and grow old with the man she still loved; a man who had long since been able to be in her presence as he found her continued existence to be disturbing. "Very well, you have a deal, Lord Sesshoumaru."

Even as the words left her lips, small glowing orbs of light began to rise up from the fire, circling around the demon lord as they began to increase in speed. The orbs soon began to multiply in numbers until his body was completely covered in them, their magic surrounding him and transporting him 500 years in the past. A moment later, they shot back into the fire and disappeared, leaving Kikyou alone in the cave once more.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

As Sesshoumaru felt himself having the distinct feeling of falling, he reached his hand out to grab onto something to stop his decent only to realize there was nothing there. Quickly catching his balance by taking a step forward, Sesshoumaru soon realized he wasn't actually falling or at least he wasn't any more as he found his feet were on solid ground and not plummeting to the ground below him. A bit confused, but thankful the feeling had left him, Sesshoumaru opened his eyes and found himself staring down upon a village he had not seen in over 400 years.

Before he even had the chance to realize the priestess had done her job correctly and had transported him 500 years into the past, a scream pierced the otherwise silent air around him; instantly drawing his attention to one of the huts below. It only took him a moment of searching long forgotten memories to realize it was the one she had lived in long ago. A instant later, another scream echoed through the village and reminded him what he was doing there.

As he moved to take a step toward the hut, Sesshoumaru found his feet refusing to move. The priestess's earlier words of warning coming back to his mind. If he arrived too soon, he could endanger his son's life. While she was already in labor by the sounds of things, there was no telling what kind of stress his presence might put on her or what danger the stress might put either of them in. He had waited 500 years for this and now that he was finally going to get what he had always wanted, Sesshoumaru found himself unable to reach out for it.

He was afraid, a feeling he had never known before, and not of injury to himself or of a battle he could not win, but of himself causing danger to another. Such a strange twist of fate it seemed to be. He had spent his life causing pain and taking lives both inside and outside of battle and never once had he spared it a second thought, but now, it was all he could think about. He had never harmed a life he had not set out to do and Sesshoumaru did not wish to start now; especially when his own son was at stake.

But as another scream reached his ears, Sesshoumaru found that the decision was taken away from his as his feet were already moving on their own toward the hut; crossing the distance from the top of the hill in a matter of moments. At that moment, he knew nothing else but the need to be by her side and that desire overruled even his common sense. Before he could even realize what was happening, he was crossing the threshold into the hut; four sets of confused eyes turning in his direction.

As another scream pierced the air around them and drew all of their attention back to the room off to the side, Sesshoumaru paid the others no more mind as he turned toward the noise and headed into the other room. His presence did not go unnoticed for long as his half-brother turned to growl at him, alerting the other two people in the room of his arrival. Inuyasha was ignored as his eyes stayed fixed on the red-faced, panting woman whose frightened eyes held his own.

She seemed about to say something to him, and Sesshoumaru knew whatever it would have been it would not have been in his favor, but her words were stopped as another scream was wrenched from her tired body. Instantly he was forgotten about as the others turned their attention back to her and went back to helping her to birth his son. As he stood there watching silently from the far side of the room, Sesshoumaru found himself torn between wanting to be at her side and feeling as though he had no place there.

It was his son she was about to give birth to and yet it was Inuyasha at her side, holding her hand as he whispered assurances into her ear. As much as he wanted to demand his rightful spot, he did not feel as though he deserved it. Inuyasha had been there for her during her pregnancy and the first time around, it had been him right where he was now. After everything he had done for her and had originally during her life, Sesshoumaru found he could not deny him of this moment.

He did not have the right to. It was his son, but not once in the nine months since his creation had he ever acted like a father. He knew it would change now, it was the main reason he had come back to the past in the first place, but certain things he could not bear to steal away from the half-brother he had hated his entire life. Inuyasha could have easily hated his son as he did his father, turned his back on him and his mother as he had done, but he hadn't.

He never treated her differently for bedding the enemy, treated his son like the family he was when no one would have blamed him for wanting nothing to do with either of them. Inuyasha had been there when he wouldn't, couldn't and though he would not get the chance again with the new future Sesshoumaru planned to make, he would still be rewarded for what he would have done, for what he had done.

Sesshoumaru was pulled away from thoughts of his brother's new worth in his eyes when an ear piercing scream shattered the silence that had settled over the room while he wasn't paying attention. For a moment concerned something was wrong, Sesshoumaru turned toward the mother of his child only to realize the scream had not come from her and her eyes seemed to be trained elsewhere. Following her line of sight, he found the elderly woman holding up his son who screamed in protest to the cool air hitting his naked flesh.

Sesshoumaru could only stare in awe of the life he had helped create, wondering how he could have ever gotten so lucky to be blessed with an heir. How he could have ever thought the precious life before him was a mistake. How he could have ever blamed her for their son's existence when he should have been thanking her. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts of self hatred, he almost missed the older woman's whispered words to Kagome.

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru instructed, startling the others in the room. Ignoring the confused expressions on both his half-brother's and the older woman's faces, he turned his attention to the woman who was looking at him as though he were a smudge on her boots. Even without her saying so, he knew she thought he was refusing to what was asked himself and he couldn't blame her. If he was still his younger self, he knew the thought of doing such a thing would be beneath him.

"Inuyasha should cut the cord that binds him to you, because he has earned that right," Sesshoumaru assured her before finally making his way further into the room and stopping at her side. Noticing the others were still staring at him in silence, he gestured for Inuyasha to proceed; assuring him that he had meant what he said. After a quick glance to Kagome to make sure she didn't mind, Inuyasha did as instructed and severed the umbilical cord.

Quickly and with experienced ease, the elderly woman cleaned off the newborn before gently wrapping him and placing him in his mother's arms. Other than the sounds of her washing her hands in a nearby basin of water, the room was silent for a long moment as everyone stared down at the tiny bundle in awe. "Inu-Takeshi," Kagome whispered after a full minute had passed as she gently caressed the tip of his button nose with the pad of her finger.

Remembering a conversation they would never have, Sesshoumaru felt the slightest of smiles teasing the edge of his lips. "After our father," he whispered above her without ever taking his eyes off of their son, knowing the pronoun he used would catch his brother's attention. It wasn't every day that he grouped the two of them together in some way; usually he simply referred to him as 'his' father, as though he did not even have a sibling.

While Inuyasha stood there staring at him in confused silence, obviously having caught his inclusion, Kagome graced him with a beautiful smile as she glanced up from where she lay. Unable to say anything for fear of crying, as the tears were already threatening to spill from her lips at the very sweet, if not uncharacteristic thing for him to say, she could only nod her head in agreement. Deciding after a moment to risk a chance, Kagome held out their sleeping son to him; holding her breath as she waited to see how he would react.

Much to her surprise and gratitude, he gently removed his son from her arms, carefully placing him in his own as he held him against his chest. Giving him one last smile, and confident their son was in good hands, Kagome allowed her head to fall back against the futon and was out in a matter of moments. The long, exhausting hours of labor had finally caught up with her and she was unable to remain awake for even a second longer.

Seeing her patient was out and no doubt in desperate need of sleep, Kaede began to quietly shoo them out of the room, making sure to gesture for them to remain silent. Both knowing she had Kagome's best interest in mind, either of the demon brothers fought against her decision and allowed themselves to be led out of the room. Once they were back out in the outer room and all eyes had turned toward them, Inuyasha turned back to his brother with a questioning expression marring his face.

"What are you doing here, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha demanded in a harsh, but quiet voice not wanting to wake up the infant in his brother's arms. Though just as curious to learn the answer, as Miroku glanced over at the two of them, he could swear the elder brother seemed almost apprehensive about the idea of discussing things in front of them. Deciding it would be best for them to understand what was going on and sure Inuyasha would fill them in later on anyways, Miroku herded the others out of the hut.

Though he watched their exit out of the corner of his eyes, Inuyasha paid his friends little attention other than mentally making a note to thank Miroku later. They needed to get to the bottom of his presence quickly, hopefully before Kagome woke up again in case it turned out they needed to make him leave, and he was positive he had a better chance of getting a straight answer from his brother the fewer people were around.

A long tense moment of silence passed between the two of them as Sesshoumaru kept his eyes fixed on the small bundle in his arms. Finally he sighed softly before glancing over at his half-brother, who for once was waiting patiently for his response. "I am here to stop myself from making a mistake I will regret," Sesshoumaru informed him, not really surprised by the look of disbelief and apprehension that appeared on his face.

"You can relax, Inuyasha. I have no intention of harming my son. I am not here as an enemy as I was in the past, but as a father," Sesshoumaru assured him before apparently deciding the conversation was over as he walked over to the other side of the room and carefully lowered himself to the floor; making sure not to jar his son awake. Inuyasha watched him in stunned silence for a long moment; once again catching the strange pronoun he had used.

He had not only admitted out loud that the infant was his, but had actually claimed him as his son. That alone was enough to make Inuyasha rethink the demon he had always known his half-brother to be. The Sesshoumaru he knew would never accept a half-breed as his own child. He wouldn't hold him carefully to his chest making sure not to wake him. And he most certainly would not have suggested that Inuyasha had earned the right to do anything.

Shaking his head and not sure of what else he could do at that moment, Inuyasha mumbled something about bringing back the others before heading out of the hut before Sesshoumaru could respond had he been so inclined. But as his thoughts were focused on the new life in his arms, his half-brother's words barely registered in his mind. "I assure you, my son. I will not make the same mistake twice," he swore to the sleeping child, undaunted by the fact that he couldn't hear him in his current state.

_TV:JTR_

Her first thought upon waking was the fact that her mind was groggy and unwilling to supply her with any recent details. She couldn't remember going to sleep or what she had been doing before then. But she didn't worry about it too much, she was sure this was not the first time she had woken up in such a state and instinctively knew Inuyasha would protect her if any danger arose in her current condition. Her second thought was that her breasts were killing her.

Confused as to what she could have done to them to create such nagging pain, Kagome reached her hand up to gently test one, applying only a small amount of pressure, and soon found her fingers had become wet. The sensation of her breast milk dripping down her fingers shot Kagome to complete wakefulness and she sat up so quickly in bed that she developed an annoying head rush. Grumbling about it not being a good morning, she opened her eyes to find herself staring into amused golden ones.

"What are you looking at, Inu-," she began only to realize that something was wrong even as she said it. The color of his eyes was wrong and their slight narrowing at the name informed her that the demon before her was not the younger brother. Rubbing her eyes free of the sleep that crusted on the edges, she turned her attention back to him with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Sesshoumaru. In my defense, it usually is him that I see first thing in the morning.

"Can you hand me our son?" she inquired gently as she gestured toward the bundle he carefully held in his arms. "If he doesn't feed soon I'm going to burst," she explained, not caring if he had the foggiest idea what she was talking about as she laid her son against her breast and carefully slid the kimono off of her shoulder. Undaunted by the fact she was exposing herself to Sesshoumaru, as it wasn't anything he hadn't seen or felt before, she aimed the nipple in the direction of her son's mouth and breathed a silent prayer when he quickly latched on.

She remembered Kaede had warned her that some newborns had problems feeding at first and right now that was the last thing she needed. She had enough problems to deal with already as it was. 'Speaking of problems,' Kagome mentally mumbled to herself before turning her attention back to the demon lord next to her after making sure her son was settled in and eating happily. As she looked him over, she wasn't sure why, but she got the distinct feeling that he had been sitting there all night.

It was then that she noticed something on the wall opposite of where she lay; the moonlight still spilled into the room from the small window. It wasn't morning yet and Kagome realized why she had been so groggy upon waking, she hadn't gotten enough sleep yet. Pushing her lack of sleep from her mind and deciding that he had still been there for quite a while even if it hadn't been all night, Kagome turned her attention back to him. "What made you change your mind, Sesshoumaru?"

Instead of answering right away, Sesshoumaru watched as she feed their son, in awe of how such a thing could be so beautiful. It was not a custom that was done among demons, at least none that he had ever met, as the young was expected to eat meat from the moment they were born in order to become strong as quickly as they could. It was hunted for by their parents and pre-chewed so the pup's tiny fangs could manage it, but it was meat none the less.

It most certainly was not sustenance from the mother's own breast. As the slightly sweet scent of it hit the air, Sesshoumaru found himself curious about what it might taste like. Wondering if his life would have been any different if his mother had done the same to him; shown him the affection he had never received in nearly a 1,000 years of life that his son was now getting after only a few hours. As he turned back to the first woman he had known who actually acted like a mother, he realized she was still waiting for his answer.

"I have learned the error of my ways and I have no desire to play the fool again," Sesshoumaru explained somewhat cryptically and as he watched her face, he could easily read her thoughts in her expression. It was something that he had long ago become accustomed to and couldn't image the woman before him without her carrying her heart on her sleeve. He knew just looking at her that she thought he was referring to him letting Inuyasha grow up without him being around and he saw no reason to correct her.

Even being from the future herself, she might find it easier to believe that rather than him having come from the future to inhabit his younger body. And even if she did believe him, it would raise far too many questions he did not wish to answer at that moment. In fact, if everything went as he had planned, he would never have to explain his failures to her as they would never happen. His mistake would never happen.

Without him realizing it, he had lost himself within his thoughts, letting the minutes pass by in silence unnoticed. It wasn't until she had begun to speak again that he remembered he wasn't alone. "You are welcome to be as much a part of our son's life as you wish. He should have the chance to know who is father is and it is better if he learns that from you, but I will not force you to be around anymore than you want to be."

"He is not the only reason I am here," Sesshoumaru informed her, but before she had the chance to ask him what he meant, Inu-Takeshi began to fuss once more and quickly realizing he was unable to feed anymore on that breast, Kagome switched him to the other. Almost instantly she could feel some of the pressure being removed and sighed in relief as the pain started to dissipate. Turning her attention back to where Sesshoumaru had been, she realized he was no longer in the room and instead a blushing half-demon was standing in the doorway.

Confused for a moment, Kagome could only stare at him in silence before finally realizing what had caused him to blush. Apparently he had caught sight of her breast while she was repositioning her son. Rolling her eyes at him, she gestured for him to enter the room before pointing out, "You saw a lot more than that while I was in labor and still you blush?" Unable to stop herself, Kagome giggled at the sight of his blush darkening.

"It's not the same thing and you know it. And besides, it wasn't like I was actually given the time to look while you were in labor, not that I was trying to," Inuyasha assured her before plopping down on the futon next to her and laying down beside her as if it was the most natural thing in the world. As Kagome thought about it, she realized it probably was to him and since his presence was a comfort to her, she decided to let him stay and turned her attention to other matters.

"Where's Sesshoumaru?" she questioned having realized he would have had to pass Inuyasha when he left and he stood a better chance of knowing the answer than she did. But as he shrugged his shoulders, softly asking if he didn't tell her where he was going, Kagome soon realized he did not know anything more than she did. After a moment she decided that was probably not a good sign, but shook the negative thoughts from her mind.

She was sure he planned to be around for more than just seeing his son born and told Inuyasha as much. Though neither were sure who she was trying to convince more; herself or Inuyasha. "He will come back when he wants to," she decided, nodding her head with conviction before placing Inu-Takeshi against her shoulder and preparing to burp him when she realized he had finished eating and was beginning to get fussy once more.


	3. Chapter 2

AN: I apologize for how long it took me to get this chapter out. Real life kinda swamped me and all of my fanfictions had to take a break seat for a while. Hopefully now that things have calmed down a bit, I will be able to find more time to write and get another chapter out soon.

Chapter 2

The night was already in full swing with everyone tucked in inside the small hut; their soft snores the only break in silence. Everyone, but Kagome that was as a nagging feeling her son needed her had pulled her from slumber long before she had gotten a good night's sleep. Rubbing the sleep from her still closed eyes, Kagome moved to sit up when she realized there was a heavy weight on the bed nearby.

Wondering if Inuyasha had crawled into bed with her after being woken up by Inu-Takeshi, she was a bit surprised to find the other brother beside her holding their son when she opened her eyes. "You've returned," was all Kagome could manage with a smile before a large yawn split her face. Noticing for the first time that the woman beside him had awoken, Sesshoumaru turned soft eyes from the child in his arms to her before giving her a slight nod.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at her loud yawn, he opted instead to explain, "I had things I needed to take care of before I could return." Her confused expression was not lost on him, but when he gestured to two small bundles on the other side of the room, she quickly understood what he meant. As she sat up higher in bed so she could see better, Kagome couldn't help but smile at the sleeping girl's peaceful face or the small demon who seemed to be trying to share his warmth with her.

Even as she found herself wondering if Jaken had body heat to share, Kagome found herself climbing to her feet and grabbing one of the blankets that was folded, unused at the end of her futon. Almost unconsciously, Kagome draped the blanket across them; smiling softly at Jaken when he opened his eyes and turned a curious expression to her. Gesturing for him to return to the slumber she was denied as a new mother, Kagome returned to her bed and crawled back under the covers to warm up.

Once she was sure she wasn't going to shiver and seeing their son was beginning to get fussy, Kagome reached out for him and soon had him latched on and feeding once Sesshoumaru had handed him over. It was another thing she had to thank him for as she was sure the eager to feed behavior of their son's was from his demonic side as her mother had already warned her that their family had a history of problems with breastfeeding.

The other thing she had to thank him for was, of course, the very existence of their son. Smiling softly down at the tiny bundle in her arms, Kagome almost missed Sesshoumaru beginning to speak again. "I could not remain here for long while they were out there waiting for my return. I figured it would be best for them to be here with me," Sesshoumaru informed her in such a way that Kagome was almost positive he was asking for her permission.

Forgetting about how strange that was, she turned her attention to what he didn't exactly say. "You're planning on staying for a while," she commented, subtly asking a question as he had done. Though the thought of him being around their son more often would be a blessing for both of them, Kagome didn't want to get her hopes up. She didn't think she could handle a disappointment like that right now and she needed to remain strong for Inu-Takeshi.

Apparently seeing the concern in her eyes, Sesshoumaru acted very much out of character as he reached over and gently squeezed her hand in reassurance. Even as he began to speak, Kagome couldn't help but notice he did not release her hand. "I am not going anywhere. Unless you and our son decide to move elsewhere, I am going to stay right here," he almost seemed to be trying to reassure her with his words as well as his touch and Kagome smiled softly in response before squeezing his hand back.

Just as she was beginning to feel that spark of hope rising within her heart, a sobering thought crossed her mind that quickly fizzled it out. "What about the Western Lands? Surely there are things you must tend to back home. As much as we want you here, it's not at the expense of who you are," Kagome insisted, only realizing she had begun sounding distressed when her son began to fuss. Calming herself down, she turned to do the same for him only to find he was already back to eating happily.

Smiling down at him softly, she turned back to Sesshoumaru to find him looking at her with the same expression she had just given their son. For his part, it took everything Sesshoumaru had not to just start grinning stupidly at her. That would be far too out of character for him to allow, but as he had caught the unintentional slip, he was closest he had ever been to not caring. She had said 'we', not our son.

She too wanted him there and for the second time in 500 years, Sesshoumaru felt that void in his heart shrink a tiny bit. The first time had, of course, been when he had held his son for the first time. Realizing the woman in question was still waiting for him to answer, Sesshoumaru brought his attention back to the rest of what she had said. "I do not have a home to return to. There has not been a white dog palace since before Inuyasha was born and my mother learned of the existence of him and his.

"She destroyed it knowing it would hurt my father's standing among the other demon lords," Sesshoumaru explained and almost instantly noticing the sad look that was beginning to appear in her eyes once more, he gave her hand another reassuring squeeze. "You need not worry about it, Kagome. The building never mattered, it is those that fill it that do. Though they have never actually been to the ruins of my castle, they are now my home."

Though it was obvious who she was referring to, Sesshoumaru still gestured toward his two sleeping wards before nodding toward their son to assure her he was counted as well. "I simply wandered my land in order to be assured of its safety for those that live on it. I can continue to do that just as easily from here as I can sleeping in the woods. That is, of course, if I can stay here," Sesshoumaru prompted, bringing them back to his earlier question that she still had yet to answer.

Smiling softly at him was enough to answer him in the affirmative, but Kagome decided it would be better to actually be vocal. "Of course, Sesshoumaru. You and your family are welcome wherever I am, wherever we are. Even if the villagers have a problem with you being here, then we can always move out of town."

_TV:JTR_

Even with the late night feeding she had given Inu-Takeshi the night before, Kagome wasn't the least bit surprised when she was woken up once more before dawn by her son. But as she was feeding him and realizing just how early it was, she began to realize she might be able to get him to go back to sleep once more and catch an hour or so to herself. Looking forward to the tiny, but well deserved break from being 'mommy', Kagome carefully made sure he was full before singing him a soft lullaby and gently putting him to bed.

Once she was certain he was asleep and wouldn't start screaming the moment she had left the room, Kagome quietly tiptoed out and met Inuyasha about to enter the room. Shaking her head silently, Kagome dragged him back into the main room where the others were starting breakfast. "I just got him back to sleep and I need some me time before I go crazy laying in that bed all of the time. I am going for a walk. My breakfast can wait until I get back," she informed him knowing the others would be fine eating without her.

As she turned and found Sesshoumaru standing in her way, Kagome merely stared at him in silence. "Only if I go with you. You have just given birth and there is no way of knowing if a complication will arise while you are on your own," Sesshoumaru informed her and Kagome was sure it was because she was too tired that she didn't find him overbearing and controlling at that moment and in fact, wanted him to go with her.

"Fine by me. I would love your company. Inuyasha, you're on baby duty," Kagome informed him before taking Sesshoumaru by the hand and practically dragging him outside. She had spotted Rin and Shippo beginning to wake and as kids would be kids, or in other words noisy, she was sure Inu-Takeshi would be waking up again soon. Sure enough, before they had left earshot, she could hear her newborn begin to cry and couldn't help but giggle at Inuyasha's expense.

Though she felt a bit guilty being away for even a minute when her child was only a few days old, she knew he was feed and well taken care of. Pushing her guild into the back of her mind, Kagome took a deep breath and began to relax now that she could no longer hear him. Though judging by the way Sesshoumaru's eyes kept darting back toward the hut, she knew he still could. "He's fine. Just annoyed for getting woken up.

"Inuyasha will send for us if there are any problems and our son is surrounded by a priestess, a monk, a slayer and the strongest half-demon I know. He is as safe and protected as he would be if we were still there." As she turned to give him a reassuring smile, Kagome realized his attention was no longer on her or the cries of their son. A quick glance around and she soon discovered what had attracted his attention and caused the sour tilt of his lips that she had just noticed.

"I'm sorry about that," Kagome apologized for the dirty looks the villagers were sending him once they noticed his presence. She was so focused on glaring back at them that Kagome almost missed when he asked her why. "For having to put up with their dirty looks just to be able to visit your son."

"You need not worry about that either, Kagome," he assured her as he slipped her hand into his in such a subtle way that Kagome thought it felt almost natural. "A few dirty looks will not hurt me any and I am not here just to visit our son," Sesshoumaru informed her once more, his expression softening at her confused expression. "Let's go where we can speak in private without prying eyes," he suggested even as he began to lead her into the forest.

When they arrived at the clearing that housed the well and he was sure they wouldn't be overheard, he turned back around and placed her on the lip of the well so she could get off of her feet for a moment. "There is something I would like you to think about. Forgive me if this is not the right term, but I am not well informed about human customs. I wish to take you as my wife, but I want you to take some time to think about it first," he interrupted as she opened her mouth to speak.

Closing her mouth, Kagome drew in a deep breath through her nose before smiling gently at him. Once she was sure he wouldn't interrupt her again, she inquired, "How much time do I have to decide?" Though she was sure the answer would be easy for her to figure out, she was also sure that having a bit more time would be in her favor. But when she heard his answer of a few days, she still wasn't worried. "I'm planning on trying to bring Inu-Takeshi to meet my family. I will give you my answer when I return."

"Do you already have the rosary made?" Sesshoumaru inquired without it ever crossing his mind that he wasn't even supposed to know about the rosary yet as he had learned about it in a book she would have not written for another 60 years. At least not until she began asking him how he had known about it. As he couldn't think of a way to explain it away, he decided the best course of action was to ignore it and continued, "Inu-Takeshi will need it so I would suggest having one ready.

"I do not want to put a rosary on him. How could I possibly cause my son pain when he is only three days old? Who could do that to their own child?" Kagome demanded as she had already gone over this in her mind and the idea of sitting her baby like she had done to Inuyasha for years was something she could never bear to do.

Taking Kagome's hands in his as he heard the sadness and fear in her voice, Sesshoumaru assured her, "Our son will not be harmed. I shall even hold him while you activate it. You forget, Kagome, our son is not only half human, he is half demon as well and you would be hard pressed to actually hurt him. Think about this, in all of the times you have used the rosary on Inuyasha, have you ever once hurt him? And what I know of them, your emotion behind the command determines the force behind the subjection.

"If you do not use anger, and instead speak softly and calmly, he will be unharmed in every way. There is one thing that I can fully assure you if you do not believe my words," Sesshoumaru began before pausing to make sure that he, and not her emotions, had her full attention. "Humans do not have much time on this Earth. You will regret it if your family does not get the chance to get to know our son."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

As Sesshoumaru watched the woman before him, the woman who was the mother of his child and hopefully would be his spouse one day, he could not help but noticed how much she truly cared for their son. It did not matter to her that he was half demon or which bastard of a demon has sired him, he was her child. Nothing else mattered to her. She still seemed to feel any pain that he did, or she at least assumed he did.

When he cried, she cried as though the two of them were linked and as Sesshoumaru watched her try to calm down their son, when it was in fact she that was upset, he began to realize that they actually were. In a way he could never begin to understand. Unable to interrupt their moment, Sesshoumaru could only stand there and watch silently as she continued to reassure herself that he would be be fine under the guise of promising their son of his safety.

Reluctantly, Kagome finally stepped forward and handed her son over to his father; her hands lingering on him longer then they needed to. "He will be fine, Kagome," Sesshoumaru assured her once more, finally getting her to release her grip. With obvious discomfort, Kagome removed the rosary from her pocket as slowly as humanly possible before staring down at the offending object in her hand with disgust.

"Kagome, it is time," Sesshoumaru insisted, wanting to give her an outlet for her anger, mainly him, by taking away the choice for her. If she was busy being made at him, she wouldn't have time to worry about their son. Apparently willing to go along with his plan, or else completely unaware of it, Kagome glared at him for a moment before reaching up and gently placing the rosary around their son's neck.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Kagome whispered, "Stay," watching as Inu-Takeshi's little features seemed to freeze completely. Beginning to grow concerned, Kagome turned her worried eyes to Sesshoumaru, who merely responded with a calming smile as he himself felt no apprehension. Deciding to take his unspoken word for it, Kagome began to relax as she watched him come out of it and start moving again.

"We should get going," Kagome pointed out as she reached out and took their son back from his father's arms. Glad to see she had managed to calm down, Sesshoumaru was all to happy to give him back. Walking them over to the well they would soon be traveling through, Sesshoumaru watched in silence as she checked again to make sure she had everything they would need. "We will be back in a few days," Kagome reminded him and once he nodded his head in understanding, she turned toward the well as she gave him a quick smile.

Making sure she had her bag and a good hold on Inu-Takeshi, Kagome jumped into the well and disappeared. As Sesshoumaru watched her go, he was so concentrated on her that he almost missed Inuyasha arriving in the clearing behind him. Noticing that his approach had been detected, as Sesshoumaru's head raised a bit as if he was listening to him arrive, Inuyasha saw no reason to remain silent any longer.

"Don't you think it's about time you tell me what is going on? What are you doing here, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha demanded as he shoved his hands into his sleeves in his signature stance. For his part, Sesshoumaru kept his eyes on the empty well for a long moment before finally turning around and giving Inuyasha his full attention.

"I am here, Inuyasha, simply because I want to be with my family. That is it. There is no malicious intent or ulterior motive here," Sesshoumaru assured him before beginning to make his way back toward the village where he had left the others. Though judging by Inuyasha's scoff, he did not believe him.

"Just exactly how stupid do you think I am? You couldn't care less about family; let alone want to be around them. If you are going to lie, at least pick one that's actually possible," Inuyasha insisted as he moved to catch up to his half-brother; refusing to let the conversation drop before he got the truth.

"If we were speaking of the old me, you would be absolutely correct. Family was not something I had cared about or given a second thought to in the past, but this is no longer true. I have since learned the error of my ways," Sesshoumaru explained as he slowed his pace down a bit for Inuyasha though he refused to stop completely.

"Tell me something, Sesshoumaru, how can you 'Mr. too stubborn to ever change, manage to learn the error of your ways in just a few months? It wasn't that long ago that you were standing on the hill overlooking the village and telling Kagome you wanted nothing to do with your son." For a brief moment, Sesshoumaru stopped to glance over at Inuyasha and found he did not see the point in hiding the whole truth from him; in fact, he wanted Inuyasha to know it.

"Because it has not only been a few months for me, but 500 years," Sesshoumaru began as he started walking again, only to be interrupted when Inuyasha stepped out in front of him and demanded to know what he was talking about. The similarities in the time he mentioned and where Kagome had just gone, did not go unnoticed by him. "Though what you see before you is the brother you know, my conscious is much older.

"500 years older, to be more precise. It is not possible to travel back in time in my older body as there could not be two of the same entity in any place at the same time. I had let 500 years pass without meeting him, besides the day his mother died. Knowing that it was all because of my misguided pride was almost enough to bring me to my knees in regret. The first time around, I made a mistake with them and I am here now to correct it.

"I came back to make sure I made the right choices this time and to be with my family." Much to his own surprise, Inuyasha managed to keep his jaw from dropping to the ground at the sound of emotion and regret in his brother's voice. So unaccustomed to the sound, it was almost enough to distract his thoughts from his brother's actual words. But as possible future outcomes began to play through Inuyasha's mind, he was quickly reminded of exactly what could happen with his brother around; changed or not.

"I suppose you plan on settling down in the human village," Inuyasha practically accused, making sure to emphasize what they where as he knew it wouldn't take long for Sesshoumaru's old habits to rear their ugly heads. It was inevitable that they would manage to eventually piss him off and he had killed others for less. Almost as if he was just realizing that himself, which he in fact was though Inuyasha had no way of knowing that, Sesshoumaru just stared at him for a long moment in silence.

"You have a point, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru began as though he had heard his unspoken concerns. "While I may be perfectly able to control myself and my actions, it is only a matter of time before my younger self is back in control and he can not. I will ensure that this is not a problem," Sesshoumaru assured him before suddenly changing directions and heading off into the woods. "Inform Jaken that he is to continue keeping watch over Rin," he instructed, completely confusing Inuyasha before disappearing.

Unable to do much else, Inuyasha stood there staring after him silently as he tried to figure out what his brother had meant. How could he possibly control the actions of his younger self once he was no longer around to? What could control Sesshoumaru's actions to begin with; young or older version? Knowing of no other way to get the answer other than following him, Inuyasha glanced once more toward the well to convince himself Kagome wasn't going to suddenly return, before turning and heading in the direction his brother had disappeared in.

TV:JTR

A short time before, on the other side of history, Kagome found herself having a hard time climbing out of the well with an infant in her hands. Mentally kicking herself for not thinking that far ahead, she did the only thing she could think of; she called for her mother. As Kagome waited, hoping someone had been close enough to hear her, she found herself both wishing Inuyasha was there and thankful he wasn't.

There was no doubt in her mind, that had he came with her, he would be teasing her for being unable to get out of a hole in the ground. But at the same time, at least he would be there and she knew he could leap out with her, the baby and her bag in his arms. Turning her thoughts away from Inuyasha since she wasn't about to go back from him unless she absolutely had to, she turned her attention back to the top of the well and was about to call out again when the smirking face of her brother appeared over the edge.

"Yes, your sister being stuck is very funny. Now stop smiling and let mom know that I need help," Kagome instructed, pushing down the urge to dolt slap him for mocking her when she got out of there.

"Mom's already on the way. Inuyasha warned us you'd be coming home soon and when she knew you, she said she already knew what the problem was. She mumbled something about a carrier before grinning like a fool as she rushed off cheering something about having a grandson. Grandpa followed her looking just as foolish," Souta explained before turning sheepish eyes behind him when someone cleared their throat.

Kagome did not need to see the new arrival to know that it was her mother, but even if she had any doubts, her reprimanding Souta about proper ways to speak about one's elders, quickly cleared them up. "Hello Kagome dear. I brought a baby carrier for you to put on and carry my grandson. I saw it the other day right after Inuyasha came to tell us you'd be visiting. And you brother has been volunteered to bring it down to you," she explained before handing it to him and ignoring his grumblings about how that wasn't volunteering.

Taking her revenge for earlier by smiling at his disappointment, Kagome ignored the glare he sent her way and waited silently for him to climb down. Once he had, she handed him her bag for a moment as she gently slid Inu-Takeshi into the carrier and tried to figure out how the contraption was supposed to go. After about a full minute of trying and failing, and realizing her brother was beginning to snicker at her, Kagome turned pleading eyes upward toward her mother for help.

Apparently having already expected this problem to occur, she smiled down at her softly before explaining, "I read the directions before hand just in case. I kind of doubted they would have that back in the Feudal Era. The higher strap on the left connects with the lower one on your right and vise versa. You put the straps over your shoulders, hold the baby to your chest with one hand and snap the straps with the other. It's meant to be done one handed."

Not really sure how this was going to work, Kagome looked up at her mother dubiously for a moment before sighing and turning her attention back to the baby in her arms that was some how managing to sleep through all of that. Draping the straps over her shoulders as directed, Kagome held him to her chest securely as she reached her free hand behind her back and searched for the two ends. Much to her surprise, they were actually quite easy to find and snapped into place with very little work on her part.

Confused, but not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Kagome switched hands and quickly snapped it into place; only to realize the straps were much too loose. Apparently noticing the same thing she had, her mother called down, "The adjustment straps are at your lower back. You can let go of him now and pull them tight. You have to do them at the same time or you'll make it harder on yourself."

Though she was a bit apprehensive about letting go of him completely, Kagome knew she could trust what her mother was saying. Taking a deep breath, she began to slowly release him until she was sure the straps would hold and once she was certain they would, she released the breath she had been holding. Confident enough now to reach behind her, Kagome quickly found and tightened the straps.

Not wanting to remain in the well a moment longer, Kagome took her bag back from Souta and gestured for him to head up while she threw the bag over her shoulders and followed her brother up the ladder. "Glad one of us though this far ahead. I was afraid I would have to go get Inuyasha," Kagome told her mother as they tried to awkwardly hug around the sleeping baby. Realizing it wasn't going to work with such an obstacle in their way, Kagome laughed, "I guess we will have to wait until I put him down to do a proper hug. Shall we head in?"

As Kagome's question caught her attention and pulled her away from staring at her grandson, she turned her warm eyes back to her daughter and nodded her head before beginning to lead the way. "Your grandfather is really excited to meet his first great-grand son. Don't take what he did to Inuyasha seriously. He was just a bit upset at the time, he didn't really mean it," she explained as they made their way inside the house and Kagome greeted her grandfather with a hug as awkward as the one she had attempted with her mother before being relieved of her son when he decided to take possession of him.

Her mother's words finally registering in her mind, Kagome turned confused eyes back to her. "What do you mean, mom? What did grandpa do to Inuyasha?" she wondered as she began to glance back and forth between them as she waited for an answer. As her grandfather opted to walk away talking to Inu-Takeshi like he hadn't heard her questions, Kagome turned her full attention back to her mother.

"Inuyasha didn't tell you, sweety?" she wondered, continuing after Kagome had shaken her head no. "Well when he came here to tell us you were pregnant, as I am sure you can imagine, it did not go over well. Not that we had any regrets about Inu-Takeshi, it's just that you are so young. And well, when Inuyasha told us he wasn't the father, your grandfather kind of lost it and he threw Inuyasha out. And I mean literally," she explained slowly, a bit worried she would take great offense to it and leave again; refusing to let them be near her son.

So when Kagome responded by laughing, not only was she taken by surprise, but so was her father-in-law as he stopped his not so subtle escape and turned back to her in question. Seeing their confused expressions, Kagome explained in between chuckles, "Oh don't get me wrong, grandpa I am very disappointed in you for blaming any of this on Inuyasha, but I would have loved to see you physically toss him out on his backside. No wonder he never told me what happened."

After a few moments of silence had passed between them, other than Kagome's occasional laughter, the three males disappeared off into another room as her mother patted the seat next to her on the couch as she sat down. Waiting until her daughter had joined her, she inquired, "What do you plan to do now? Will you be returning to live here?" Honestly she was hoping her daughter said yes so she would get to spend more time with her only grandchild, but when Kagome explained her reasons for staying in the past, she couldn't help but understand.

She, of all people, knew what it was like to be a single parent. "Actually, mom, no I will be staying in the past. You might not believe this, but Sesshoumaru has returned and wants to be a part of his son's life. The past is the only place we have in common, but I can always come back here to visit as often as you want since I have the well," Kagome assured her mom when she saw the disappointment begin to appear in her eyes, but as quickly as it came, it disappeared and was replaced with understanding. She could understand where her daughter was coming from and, she was right, they were only a well trip away.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Without any further warning, or even waiting to make sure that Inuyasha had moved out of the way as instructed, Sesshoumaru swiped a large paw across the side of the mountain in front of him; quickly creating a gaping hole. Unable to do anything else at the moment, as the sight of Sesshoumaru digging a large tunnel into the side of a mountain was far too interesting to dare look away, Inuyasha could only stand there in amazement for the longest moment. It wasn't until it finally come rely dawned on him that Sesshoumaru intended to do it entirely with an oversized paw that Inuyasha finally spoke up.

"Move aside Sesshoumaru, I have an idea," Inuyasha informed him and waited until the giant dog had turned toward him, curiosity showing in his eyes, and stared down at him for a long moment before finally moving out of the way, before unsheathing his sword with a cry of 'Wind Scar!' aimed at the opening his brother had already made. As the blast of air and power left the sword and rushed toward its 'opponent' the ground around them shook with great force and when the dust had settled, a deep tunnel had appeared where the shallow hole had been a few moments before.

Glancing over his shoulder, Inuyasha question, "You are making a den, right?" Though the answer was quite obvious, he still waited for Sesshoumaru to nod his massive head before continuing, "How many rooms do you want?" Without hesitation, Sesshoumaru growled and Inuyasha nodded before heading inside the tunnel he had made, calling a simple 'be right back' over his shoulder.

A few moments of silence passes over the clearing before Inuyasha could be heard calling out another six 'Wind Scar's; causing the entire mountain to shake the entire time he was in there. Less than a minute later, he reappeared as he sheathed his sword at his waist. "The tunnels are done, but you will have to do the actual rooms yourself since the Wind Scar only goes in a straight line and that doesn't really work for rooms," Inuyasha explained before stepping back out of he way as his brother began to transform back into his smaller form.

As Inuyasha watched in silence, Sesshoumaru flexed his claws before making his way into the cave opening. The moment he disappeared from his sight, Inuyasha stepped back toward the edge of the forest and seated himself upon a fallen log. There was no telling how long it might take his brother to finish up and he had no desire to remain standing the entire time if it turned out to be a long while.

As he waited, he couldn't help but wonder how things were going in the other side of the well with Kagome. He knew her family would welcome her with open arms, and her grandfather had even forgiven him for not being the father, but there was no way of knowing if there was something that could go wrong. He couldn't understand how Sesshoumaru was being so calm about all of this. Today was only the second time he had been away from his son since the moment he was born and at least he was still in the same era the first time.

He could return to them at any moment he wanted to, but this time he had to wait for Kagome to return to the past in order to be able to see them again. What would he do if the well suddenly stopped working as they have always feared it might? Would he wait 500 years to see them again? Inuyasha knew that the brother currently residing in the body had, but would the younger version be willing to do it this time? When the two of them aren't around to make him realize how much he actually misses them after the 500 years has passed?

The younger version hasn't even had the chance to meet his son yet, let alone have the time to develop a bond with him as the older one has. No, Kagome had to return as planned or Sesshoumaru's coming back in time will have done no good and might have even just made things worst if Kagome was never supposed to be in the future at his point in history in the first place. Realizing the path his thoughts were beginning to take and noticing the start of a headache forming at his temples, Inuyasha decided it would be a much better idea to forget about these thoughts before they drive him insane.

TVJTR

Glancing up toward the clear sky, Kagome checked once more to make sure both her backpack and the baby carrier were secure and began climbing back up the vines she was more than used to climbing by now. Though she was almost expecting Inuyasha to be there waiting for her to return, she wasn't entirely surprised to find Sesshoumaru helping her up over the edge of the well either.

"You know, it'll probably take me a while to get used to having you around more," Kagome pointed out, before thanking him for helping and climbing down off of the edge of the well. Once both of her feet were on the ground once more, Kagome checked to make sure she hadn't disturbed the sleeping baby she was carrying and moved to head into the village when she was stopped by Sesshoumaru's voice.

"There is something I want to show you," he informed her and politely interrupted her when she began to explain that she had to put their son to bed first. "Jaken!" he called out sternly, but quietly to the little toad demon who had been waiting nearby as per Sesshoumaru's instruction. "Put my son to bed," he continued even as Jaken walked over and quickly relieved Kagome of the baby; without even having to ask directions on how to remove the carrier.

Before Kagome could even think to say something to stop him, Jaken had disappeared back into the forest without a word; no doubt on his way back to the village to put him to bed as she was intending to do. As her eyes continue to follow his form even without being able to see him any longer, worry becoming evident in her dark eyes, Sesshoumaru rested his hand in her shoulder.

"You need not worry, Jaken is more than capable of seeing to his needs and safety. If he wasn't, I would not have entrusted him with such a task," Sesshoumaru assured her before pulling her close to himself without waiting for her to respond and began gathering up his power beneath his feet. It was not long before he had accumulated enough to lift them both off of the ground and did just that.

Startled by the sudden movement and loss of ground beneath her feet, Kagome cried out in fear for a moment before the understanding that she was safe and would continue to be entered her mind. Finally able to regain control over herself, Kagome couldn't help but remember the last and only other time she had been lucky enough to be included in such an amazing experience. Before she could even realize she was doing it, she was already voicing such thoughts.

"The last time we were flying like this, we were rushing out of the void," Kagome whispered, almost to herself and the moment the words left her lips, she was already regretting them. Everything was finally starting to go good between them and Inu-Takeshi was actually going to be able to get to know his father, and here she was already bringing up the time he probably hated most in the world. "Sorry, I did not mean to remind you of it," she added quickly, hoping she hadn't completely screwed up and angered him.

"There is nothing to apologize for. I no longer regret that part of my past. What's done is done and it is time we look toward the future," Sesshoumaru explained even as he gently touched down on the ground and allowed her feet to come to rest beside his before gesturing toward the cave opening before them.

"What is this place?" Kagome inquired confused after she was certain he had not stopped just to abandon her for angering him. Though she was still concerned he might change his mind and decide he was in fact angered over being reminded of their time in the void, she decided not to dwell on it and instead turned her full attention to what was in front of her.

"This is my new den; our new den if you wish it to be. Whether you decide to become my mate or not, I will be living here so I can be near our son. It is far enough away that I will not disturb, or be disturbed, by your villagers, but also close enough that walking remains an option. Though, even without mating with me, you are welcomed to live here as well," Sesshoumaru explained, watching as Kagome began to glance around at the place he would now call home.

As Kagome opted to take a quick look inside, in her mind she went over all of the questions she wanted to ask him about him living there, about what it meant to be his mate, about him being around his son, but she found that by the time she had made her way back outside and was standing face to face with Sesshoumaru once more, there was really only one question she could still think of at that moment, "Why a den and not a house?"

Resisting the urge to snort at such a silly question, when the lines of concentration that had littered her face when she emerged from the cave clearly showed she was thinking far more serious things, Sesshoumaru simply shook his head and answered, "Because I am a dog demon."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Late that night, after the rest of the group had gone to sleep, Kagome laid silently in her bed as she watched her son sleep peacefully in her arms. At that moment, she knew there could be no greater feeling in the world than to hold in your arms a life you had helped to create. It was even more amazing than all of the times Inuyasha had carried her on his back through the air combined. As she was so lost in these thoughts, she didn't realize someone else had entered the room until his shadow fell over her form.

"Hello Sesshoumaru," Kagome greeted without having to look up to know it was him. She had quickly gotten used to his presence and now found it all but impossible to confuse him with anyone else. "I was starting to wonder if you were planning on staying elsewhere tonight. Usually you join us before now," she pointed out even though the 'usually' she spoke of really only referred to the last two nights as this was only the third night he would have had the opportunity to share a room with the rest of them.

"I was not quite ready to sleep yet, though to be honest, I was expecting you to have fallen asleep already," Sesshoumaru admitted before gently lifting the sleeping baby from her arms and putting him down in his own bed so she could lay down without risking waking him. As she watched the exchange, she couldn't help but feel the loss of his warmth already. Simply chalking it up to mother and son bonding, Kagome turned her attention back to the much older male in her life as he began making his way back over to her.

"I would have been, but someone decided he was hungry just as I laid down to sleep. But since we are both still up for now, why don't you lay down and we'll talk for a bit. I believe I still owe you an answer," Kagome reminded him and waited for him to take his place beside her before continuing, "Before I give you my answer though, there is something I need to know. What exactly does it mean to be your mate?

"I need to know that I will be more than a piece of property to you like the humans treat their wives in this time. I wasn't brought that way and I have no intention of it starting now," Kagome informed him in a tone that clearly stated she would not back down on this point. Though she had never actually had to experience it herself, Kagome had seen many women in this time being treated like they were just another household item their husbands owned. Though she doubted Sesshoumaru would follow the norm of human males here, she couldn't take any chances with her future.

In his usual custom, Sesshoumaru remained silent for a moment before finally answering her, "Though you will never be seen as the Lady of the West, as I have no intention of endangering your life by letting others outside of our group know about our mating, while inside our den and around our family you will be seen as my equal. In demon clans, though it may seem to those on the outside that the males are dominate and the females follow their lead, the truth is that behind closed doors the female is usually the one in charge as her mate or son will usually turn to her for advice on most matters.

"As my mate, I would expect you to stand beside me, not behind me. Other than that, I do not believe it is all that different from human marriages, Sesshoumaru explained, realizing for the first time that she had leaned over to rest her head against his shoulder at some point while he was speaking. Wrapping his arm behind her shoulders to pull her closer still, Sesshoumaru continued, "My job would be to see to the safety of our family and home while yours would be to watch the children, however, I do not mind sharing these responsibilities as you are able to defend yourself and protect others.

"We would share a bed and our lives together." As Kagome laid there listening to him, a sudden thought came to mind that caused her to begin to worry. It did not take Sesshoumaru long to realize there was an unasked question is Kagome's continued silence and gently squeezed her shoulder hoping to encourage her enough to speak. When that didn't work, he tried a more verbal approach. "What is it, Kagome? Speak what is it that is weighing on you so."

"It's just that it would be a very short time," Kagome began only to be met by confused silence from Sesshoumaru. "Our lives together, I mean. I won't even live for an entire century and two decades of that is already gone. That is only a very small amount of time in your life. Won't you come to regret mating me once you realize just how long you will be living without me once I am gone?" Kagome questioned only to realize exactly how full of herself her words made her out to be.

"I do not mean to sound self absorbed, but I do not think I could handle being the one to continue living after those I care for die. I am already most likely going to out live the humans I know here since I have been vaccinated against many of the things that killed people in this era and I know a lot more about keeping myself healthy. But that is only going to give me a few extra decades if no outside forces come into play. You would live hundreds, if not thousands, of years after you lost your mate."

Though it did not appear on the outside, inside Sesshoumaru couldn't help but smile. Leave it up to Kagome to be worried about how he would be after she had died rather than worrying about the fact that she would die eventually. And though she would never know it, he already knew exactly how it felt to live his life without her. 500 years had been far too long having never accepted and welcomed her into his life. And it was only a fraction of the time he would still live for.

He already knew what it was like to never consider her family, he wasn't about to go through that again. Even if she would never understand, he did and for Sesshoumaru, that was enough to know that this was how things were supposed to be. Gently running his fingers through her hair, Sesshoumaru rested his head against hers before he admitted softly, "There is always a chance that I may come to regret this later, but I already know that I will regret it if I don't. I would rather spend a short time with you as my family then to never have one."

"But you are forcing yourself to spend a lifetime alone just to be mated a tiny fraction of your life. Would it not be better for us to not mate and maybe get married instead? Or even just live together. We can still do everything you wanted to do without having to be mated. You're only allowed one mate, aren't you?" Kagome questioned, certain she remembered Inuyasha telling her something about it some time before.

When Sesshoumaru nodded, she was positive that she had indeed remembered correctly. "Then wouldn't it make more sense for us to not mate? We can still be a family even if we don't. And you could always take a mate later after I'm gone, couldn't you? One that is actually a demon and you could share your whole life with them instead of just a few decades," Kagome suggested and though she didn't exactly like the idea of Sesshoumaru mating someone else, she couldn't help but feel her discomfort was a far lesser price to pay then him being alone forever.

"It is not possible if I wish to be able to get to know our son. No demoness would ever accept a mating with a half-breed in the picture and I fully intend on our son being in my life. Even long after you are gone. But it would not matter anyways, I have already found the woman I want as my equal. I do not wish to find another and I know I would be unable to. I have been alive far longer than you can even imagine and I have found but one woman in that entire time that I would want to spend my life with.

"You think refusing my proposal would be saving me from pain, but the truth is Kagome, that I will never find another I wish was my mate. I may only get a few decades of happiness with you, but with out you, I will not even get those. Without you as my mate, I would spend my entire life never knowing what it meant to have a family because more than just living together or even getting married in the human custom, mating would connect us in this life and the next.

"Even if the beginning of us was against my will, or perhaps even more because of it, I want to be in control of our ending. I want to know that our son is not the only good thing that came out of that void and even more than that, Kagome, I do not wish to carry around the void within me my entire life. Not because I am afraid of the pain that will come later and certainly not because you are. Become my mate if that is what you truly wish to do, but do not refuse me for fear of how I will get on without you once you are gone."

For a long moment, Kagome could do little more than just stare up at him in silence before finally smiling and whispering, "There was never even a question of what the answer would be, Sesshoumaru. It was yes the moment you came back and wanted us in your life. I can think of nothing greater than to be with the father of my son; a man I wanted to be with before I even left the void." Shocked by her sudden admission, as he was certain she had hated him as much as he hated her when they left the void, Sesshoumaru could only stare down at her in shock for a long moment.

Instead of answering his obvious question, Kagome simply let her smile brighten before closing her eyes as she leaned against him and breathed in his scent. Though she had refused to admit it to even herself, she had missed his strong but pleasing male scent since their time within the void and even though Inuyasha's was just as strong and pleasing, it was not the same and to her, it paled in comparison to Sesshoumaru's.

Whatever Sesshoumaru was going to say to her was forgotten when a large yawn split her face and he noticed she was having trouble keeping her eyes open for more than a few moments. Smiling softly to himself, he couldn't help but watch the endearing woman in his arms and wonder just how long she would continue fighting to stay awake. "Get some sleep," Sesshoumaru instructed as he laid down fully on her futon and pulled Kagome flush against him. "Goodnight, Kagome."

Though she did not want to sleep yet, for some odd reason feeling like she needed to spend as much time with Sesshoumaru as she could, Kagome knew she would not be able to stay awake for much longer. Being a new mother was very tiring and it was only a matter of time before Inu-Takeshi was awake and wanting to be fed again. "Goodnight, Sesshoumaru," she replied as she laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes.


	7. Chapter 6

AN: Sorry this took so long! Hopefully the next update won't be as far off.

Chapter 6: (Day four)

Dawn rose early the next morning, greeting Kagome with the bright sun flooding in through the single window in the room. She could swear that the night had only just begun a few minutes ago, but as the intrusive light told her otherwise, she could only conclude that the late night feedings were causing her to not get enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep was throwing off her sense of time.

But whether it was truly dawn or not, she was not quite ready to get up yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time before she needed to feed her son once again. Grudgingly opening her eyes, Kagome found a sight she wasn't expecting to see. Though she had seen many strange things over the course of her time in the past with Inuyasha and the others, she had to say that this was the strangest.

Sitting down on the floor in the middle of the room, carefully holding her son in her lap, was Rin. The little boy was carefully cradled with one hand while she danced the fingers of her other a few inches away from his face. Though he had not quite learned how to laugh yet, she was able to hold his undivided attention with such a simple act and the sparkles in his eyes was enough to let everyone know he was enjoying himself immensely.

But this was not the strange part; an older sister holding her little brother, which is what they essentially were, in her lap while she played with him was not an uncommon sight. In fact, Kagome could clearly remember doing so with her own little brother many years back. Nor was it the ever watchful Sesshoumaru sitting on the edge of the futon, keeping a close eye on them without even looking like he was.

During her travels when they had stumbled across his group, she had seen such behavior on many occasions. He would keep an eye on Rin whenever she was spending time with her, even though he seemed to have his full attention on Inuyasha who was usually trying to bait him into a fight. He would always be watching Sango and Miroku whenever the two groups faced off against each other even though it would seem as if he only saw Inuyasha there.

No, neither of them were the ones that Kagome thought seemed to be acting weird. Jaken on the other hand, was a different story. The way he was acting, she could have never imagined seeing it from such a demon. Not that there was anything wrong with the little guy, just he had never given her even the subtlest clue that he was at all nurturing.

But there he was, seeming to be fretting about; checking on both Rin and Inu-Takeshi, as if he were a mother hen and they were her chicks. He would stand behind Rin, double checking to make sure that she was supporting his head right before turning to Inu-Takeshi to make sure he wasn't needing anything and about to start fussing. He was acting very much like a mother hen tending to her flock.

Realizing just how funny that sounded, Kagome giggled before she could stop herself; drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Once they saw she wasn't going to interrupt them, Rin and Jaken went back to whatever it had been that they were doing. Almost as if they had never been interrupted in the first place, the two quickly fell back into their rhythm. It was a very interesting sight for her to witness to say the least.

"You have an interesting family," Kagome commented softly as she gazed down at them with a soft smile playing at her lips. A strange sight or not to behold, it was a beautiful view. And even though she was actually making an observation to herself rather than speaking to Sesshoumaru, with his superior hearing, he didn't even need to try to be able to pick it up.

"Soon they will be your interesting family," Sesshoumaru pointed out as he rose from his seat to sit next to her on the futon; causing the bedding to dip down under his weight. As Kagome sat there staring at him silently, she couldn't believe she had completely forgotten about such an important detail; their families combining. As was done whenever someone married, or mated as the case might be, another person.

"That means my family will become yours as well," Kagome pointed out only to have Sesshoumaru stared at her in silence, doing little more than raising his eyebrow at her words; as if to say such a thing should have been completely obvious to her. "That means Inuyasha as well. He's an important member of my family."

Much to everyone in the room's surprise, then next sound out of his mouth wasn't a denial to that fact, but an actual chuckle. All at once three heads turned to him in shock; all waiting for a sign that they had misheard him. But the slight smirk in satisfaction for confusing them, quickly proved their first suspicions to be correct. For their parts, Rin and Jaken turned their attention back to the youngest in the room after the former had giggled.

Inuyasha, who had been about ready to walk into the room, had stopped at the sound he had never once heard in his long life. Deciding it was about time to explain himself and alleviate their confusion, Sesshoumaru informed them, "Inuyasha is already a member of my family. He has always been. Fighting or even hating one another, would never prevent us from still being family. Nothing ever could."

By the end of his words, Kagome could do little more than smile through her tears. So touched she had been by what he had said, she had been unable to prevent them from making themselves known. Unknown to Kagome, who had never even known he was standing there, Inuyasha had made his way back out of the room at these words. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand who had sensed his presence, informed her, "I will be right back," before rising to his feet and following after him without giving her the chance to respond.

TV:JTR

Once outside, it did not take long for Sesshoumaru to locate the one he was searching for; finding Inuyasha resting against a tree outside with his hands jammed into his sleeves and a faint reddening to his cheeks. Though it was not the only sign of his current embarrassment, and in fact Sesshoumaru could even smell the scent of astonishment rolling off him no matter how hard he tried to fight it, it was more than enough to confirm his suspicions.

Inuyasha had left without telling them whatever it was he came to say because Sesshoumaru's words had effected him. Effected him in a way Sesshoumaru doubted he had been exposed to much during his life. Before Sesshoumaru could question him about what he had wanted, Inuyasha noticed his presence and grumbled up at him, "Why'd ya have to go and say something so girly?" Though his tone was gruff and his words quick, as though to say he was annoyed or even angered by his brother's words, Sesshoumaru could easily see through the facade.

Wise enough not to take his brother's bait, Sesshoumaru simply sat down beside him in silence for a moment. Sitting side by side, neither of the brothers said a word as the seconds slowly ticked by as though they were minutes. More than once in that time, Inuyasha had opened his mouth to say something only to change his mind at the last minute and close it once more. Though Sesshoumaru saw these false starts, he opted to pretend as though he didn't; deciding they did not need to be pointed out.

Whatever it was he was trying to say, he obviously wasn't sure yet if he wanted to share it and there was no reason for Sesshoumaru to insist that he did. When and if he was ready to say it, Sesshoumaru knew he would. What Sesshoumaru didn't know was that there was actually nothing Inuyasha was wanting to say, but was merely failing in his attempts to get the conversation started. Even what he had come to the room to tell them wasn't important; only that breakfast was almost ready.

When Sesshoumaru finally did speak, his voice was far softer than Inuyasha could ever remember it being before. "My younger self would not have felt the same way as I have come to feel," he informed him as he eyes stared off at some unseen point in front of him; his mind flooded with thoughts of exactly how his younger self would have felt. He already knew exactly what would happen if he was in this situation with the conscious he should have at this point in time for it had already happened.

At this point in time he had hated Inuyasha for he blamed him for Kagome's presence. She in turn was blamed for their being trapped in that void and the bastard child that resulted from it. Everything had been their fault, whether either of them had planned for things to go this way or not, and if he was being honest with himself, he was actually quite surprised his younger self had not killed Inuyasha for what he felt he was responsible for. The demon he remembered being at that age was rather reckless and despised things not going his way.

Unaware of the thoughts swirling around his brother's mind, Inuyasha's embarrassment quickly faded away to curiosity. Even if he did not know what Sesshoumaru was thinking, he did know what the other one was like and how he might have behaved had it still been him there. Unknown to either of them, their thoughts were nearly identical to one another's. Both silently were grateful that it was the older, wiser Sesshoumaru that was there during this time, but both also knew that it was only a matter of time before their answered prayers went unanswered once more.

"What changed your mind?" Inuyasha questioned, for the first time he could remember, completely curious about his half brother's motivations. The Sesshoumaru he knew, or the younger one as he liked to call the version of himself from this time, would never admit that he had change or that his opinion had. That would mean admitting to the fact that his first thought had been incorrect.

"For 500 years, you watched over my son. Took care of him as if he was you own and raised him to be a good man. The day Kagome went through the well for the last time, I watched the two of you watching her go. It finally hit me at that moment that the two of you were the only family I had left. I spent 500 years completely alone and I never want to feel that way again.

"I wish to be surrounded by family even after she is gone from this life again," having said his piece, Sesshoumaru stood and began making his way back inside without giving Inuyasha the chance to think about what he had said; let alone respond to it. For a long while, Inuyasha just stared after him in silence; unsure of how to handle this new Sesshoumaru. No longer was he the brother Inuyasha had never really gotten the chance to know.

He wasn't trying to kill him or steal away his inheritance. He wasn't calling him a useless half-breed or even insulting him in the least. It would take a while to get used to him, but by then Inuyasha knew he would already be gone. How would the Sesshoumaru he was used to handle everything that had been done in his absence? Though there was no way to know for sure how he would react, Inuyasha knew it was safe to assume that it wouldn't be pretty.

TV:JTR

After making his way back into the hut in silence, Sesshoumaru walked back into the room to find an already dressed Kagome sitting on the edge of the futon. Noticing his arrival, she glanced up at him with a soft smile. A quick glance around the room told him either Jaken and Rin, nor his newborn son, was still in the room. He needed only listen for a moment before he could hear Jaken telling Rin she needed to put Inu-Takeshi down if she wanted to be able to eat.

After promising her he would give him back as soon as she was done, Jaken was apparently able to convince her as Sesshoumaru could soon hear Jaken promising once more before sitting down just on the other side of the bedroom wall. Turning his attention back to Kagome, Sesshoumaru found her fidgeting in her spot; her mouth opening and closing slightly as though she had something to say, but couldn't bring herself to for whatever reason.

Instead of questioning her, Sesshoumaru merely raised his eyebrow for a moment before silently sitting down on the futon beside her. Now that he was no longer towering above her or looking her in the eyes, Kagome found the courage to speak. "For future reference, when did you want to become mates?" Kagome inquired softly; still embarrassed to speak of such things after everything that had happened in the void.

Participating in the activity in the pitch black world of the void and speaking about it out loud in broad daylight were two completely different things. "We can start now, if you are ready," Sesshoumaru informed her and for a moment, Kagome could only blush feverishly while trying to stammer out that it was still too soon after giving birth, but finding herself unable to get the words out.

Misunderstanding, as he did not know about the needs of a woman's body, and thinking she was embarrassed because the others were just on the other side of a wall and might hear them, Sesshoumaru smirked before explaining, "The actual process of mating does not require that which you are referring to." Both the smirk and his words caused her blush to deepen.

"We mate by allowing a small amount of our powers to seep into each other's bloodstreams each day. Once complete, which will only take a few sessions, we will both be immune to each others' powers. And it will connect us to each other. There is one thing that you must know before we begin though," Sesshoumaru told her as he reached down and gently ran his thumb over her hand.

"If we begin the mating process; it must be completed at all cost. If we stop part way through, both of us will soon die from power poisoning. Be sure this is what you want before we begin," he insisted and with a soft smile, Kagome nodded her head that she was certain. "Very well. We must cut our palms so our blood can mix," he explained as he lifted her hand so her palm was facing up.

Once she had nodded once more that she was ready, Sesshoumaru placed a nearby bandage, that was left over from the delivery, across his lap just in case any of the blood spilled from their joined hands. Using his index finger, Sesshoumaru drew his claw across her palm, apologizing softly when she hissed in pain, before doing the same to his own.

Grasping her hand with his own, Sesshoumaru pressed the two cuts together and could instantly feel her blood beginning to seep into his wound; knowing without having to ask her that she could feel his doing the same. As he concentrated on how it felt, Sesshoumaru was too distracted to notice he had held on too long for a human's body to handle and did not realize something was off until Kagome slumped unconscious into his arms.

Annoyed at his lack of awareness and forethought, but certain it was nothing that a little sleep and nourishment wouldn't cure, Sesshoumaru released her hand. After quickly bandaging it, he laid her down on the futon and covered her up; deciding to let her sleep until their son needed to be fed again. Next time, he would be more careful.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 (Day five)

A few minutes before the sun would be dawning the next morning, Kagome found herself being pulled back into the land of consciousness by something softly tickling her neck. Confused but curious, she eventually forced her eyes to open to find it was a long, silver strain of hair that was brushing up against her every time the bed moved. Following it back to its owner, she found Sesshoumaru sitting beside her on the futon; their son tucked carefully into his arms. Turning her gaze upward, she found his golden eyes were already watching her.

"You should get some more sleep. There is still time before dawn," Sesshoumaru assured her and with a smile, Kagome nodded her head as best she could while lying down before closing her eyes and deciding to take him up on his suggestion. More sleep sounded like a great plan, or at least it did until it fully clicked in her mind what he had just said.

"Dawn? It's almost dawn? I haven't fed Inu-Takeshi since yesterday. He must be starving," Kagome insisted, mentally berating herself for sleeping through something so important as feeding her infant son, and moved to sit up only to have Sesshoumaru force her to remain as she was by placing his arm on her back.

"You need not worry, Kagome. He has been fed. He suckled from your breast while you were sleeping. The elder showed me how to get him to feed," Sesshoumaru explained causing Kagome to turn bright red at the thought of Sesshoumaru seeing her breasts while she was asleep. "There is nothing to be bashful about, it is not the first time I have seen them; remember? I did not lose my sight within the void. I could see everything perfectly clear," Sesshoumaru practically teased as Kagome finally started to relax again.

Sighing, Kagome laid back down on her pillow and stared up at the ceiling. "Am I going to pass out every time we merge our auras? I'm only wondering so I know if I need to make sure I feed him right before hand," Kagome wondered as she glanced up at the palm of her hand after raising it up to her face.

"No, I simply held on for too long. I forgot to compensate for you being human. It will not happen again," Sesshoumaru assured her before turning his attention to the baby in his arms when he began to grow fussy. Figuring that meant he needed to fed again after all, Sesshoumaru gently placed him in her waiting arms before resting back against the wall to watch. Though Kagome felt a little subconscious about having his eyes on her while her breasts were exposed, she decided it really didn't matter.

It was not long before she was too distracted by her son latching on and suckling away happily at her breast to even really notice his father's eyes on her naked flesh anymore. At least until he spoke. "Never have I seen anything so beautiful," he whispered, not wanting to disturb their son and causing her to blush bright red once more. Glancing away from him for a moment, afraid her face would catch on fire if she got any redder, Kagome thought about what he had said and couldn't help but smile.

Turning back to him once she was certain her face was mostly back to normal, she agreed, "I know what you mean. Watching you hold him was the most beautiful thing in the world to me. You will never know how happy I am that you are here to know your son. It would break my heart for him to have to grow up without ever knowing you." For a few minutes, the two of them fell into a comfortable silence until it was time to switch to the other breast. "Do you know when you want to move into our new home? I figured you probably wouldn't want to stay in a human village for too long."

Sesshoumaru watched her settle back in for a few moments in silence before turning his attention back to her face and answering, "As soon as you receive the okay to be up and moving around from your elder. There are still a few things I need to take care of before we can move in. In fact, I should go deal with some of those now. Call for Jaken if you need anything," Sesshoumaru insisted before rising off of the bed and gently kissing her forehead.

Making his way back out into the main room, he found every pair of eye turning toward him in question, but he paid little attention to most of them. "Jaken watch the children. Inuyasha come with me," Sesshoumaru instructed before grabbing his forearm and dragging him back out the door without bothering to wait for an answer.

"My lord! Does that count the squirrel?" Jaken called out after him, receiving an affirmative answer. As he turned back to his breakfast, not really worried about having to watch one extra child since the youngest would probably be spending most of his time with his mother and Rin would no doubt want to be in the room with them making his job a lot easier, Jaken was surprised to find almost everyone in the room giving him a dirty look. "What?"

"I'm a fox demon. Not a squirrel."

TV:JTR

When he finally had enough of being dragged along behind his brother, Inuyasha wrenched his arm free of his brother's grasp and started rubbing away the red mark that had formed beneath his fingers. "What do you want Sesshoumaru? Where are we going?" Inuyasha demanded, wanting to know why he was suddenly dragged out of the house so early in the morning without any warning.

"We need to buy supplies for our den," Sesshoumaru replied and shrugging it off, thinking he meant his and Kagome's, Inuyasha jogged to catch back up with him, not wanting to be left behind even if he hadn't wanted to go in the first place.

"What exactly do you need and how are we going to get it? You got this stuff laying around somewhere or something? Cause I don't exactly have any money to spend and neither do you unless you have a coin purse hidden away somewhere that I've never seen," Inuyasha half joked as he fell in step with his brother and continued toward whatever their destination might be.

"We will need futons, clothes and other such things for a home. You should have a better idea of what is needed since you live in a home yourself," Sesshoumaru pointed out looking over at Inuyasha, not wanting to let on the fact that he had absolutely no idea what would be needed himself. He hated not having the answer to something; it gave others the rare chance to show him up by knowing what he didn't.

"I've never really paid that much attention to what's in Kaede's hut and besides, you've lived in one too, didn't you?" Inuyasha pointed out, not wanting the conversation to be directed toward him. He was usually too worried about the risk of being thrown out on the streets again to pay much attention to what was needed around the house.

"Not in over 200 years," Sesshoumaru corrected him as he pulled a coin purse from inside his clothing and held it up for Inuyasha to see; jingling it slightly so he would understand that they had more than enough to pay for what they would need.

It took Inuyasha almost a full minute for it to completely dawn on him what his brother had said and he stopped; grabbing onto Sesshoumaru's arm and forcing him to do the same. "You really haven't lived in a home in 200 years?" Inuyasha wondered, unable to understand how he could have possibly been wandering around for that long without some place to return to when he needed a break.

"After my mother destroyed the home I grew up in, I did not see the point in living in a new one. At least, until now," Sesshoumaru replied with a shrug as he turned and started walking once more. Hearing Inuyasha's curious 'why' and knowing what he was referring to, Sesshoumaru just stared at him in silence for a few moments as he tried to figure out if he really didn't understand his mother's reasoning. Seeing he seemed to be honestly waiting for the answer, Sesshoumaru decided he really had no idea.

"My mother was pissed when she learned her mate had managed to get another woman pregnant." Realizing he had just completely missed the obvious and knowing he was of course referring to him, Inuyasha stumbled to apologize, but Sesshoumaru just waved it off. "It does not matter now and besides, we still need to figure out what to buy for our den," Sesshoumaru reminded him.

"You mean yours and Kagome's," Inuyasha pointed out, refusing to admit that his slips kept getting his hopes up. He knew it was stupid after all of these years, but he couldn't help but still crave the acceptance of his only brother.

"No, yours too," Sesshoumaru insisted and confused, Inuyasha could only stare at him in silence. "Why do you think I asked for six rooms to be created? One for Kagome and I, one for Jaken, one for Rin, one for Shippo, a family gathering room and one for you, Inuyasha."

"I figured that other room was for your son."

"No, while he is still young, he will be sharing a room with Kagome and I. When he is old enough, he will share one with Shippo. I told you before, Inuyasha, I never wish to be alone again. I will be surrounding myself with my family; all of my family. That includes you," Sesshoumaru informed him before picking up his pace to continue on to the demon village a few miles away; hoping they would have the supplies they needed for sell and not force them to try and find humans that would deal with them.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

As Kagome stood there, staring down at her sleeping son, she couldn't help but notice just how peaceful he looked. His eye lids fluttered slightly in his sleep as he dreamed about something only he could see, his lips were parted slightly; the edges turned up just enough to look like an involuntary smile.

She finally understood why her mother, and so many others, referred to them as angels when they were sleeping; they really were. Watching him like this, she could forget about the crying, the late night feedings and the inability to lull him to sleep. At a moment like this, she didn't have to worry if she would be a good mother or not.

He was fed, warm and dry, and sleeping peacefully; she was off to a good start. Now if only she could find the time to take care of herself; she couldn't remember the last time she had the chance to bath. And if she could smell had bad it was, she really felt sorry for Sesshoumaru and his superior sense of smell.

Setting he son down gently, careful not to wake him, Kagome decided she was way over due for some mommy time and grabbed her bathing supplies before heading out of the room. Informing Inuyasha, who just happened to be the first person she saw, to watch her son, Kagome made her way out without waiting for him to answer.

She knew there was no reason for her to worry, even of Inuyasha couldn't watch him or had to leave before she returned, she knew her son would still be well taken care of. As she was walking toward the hot springs, her mind wrapped up in thoughts of her son and realizing she was already starting to miss the little guy, it took Kagome a full minute to realize she was being followed.

"Sesshoumaru, why are you following me?" Kagome called over her shoulder; not needing to turn around to know who was there. She didn't even need to sense his aura to know it was him, only two people ever followed her and she had instructed the other to watch her son.

"You should not be wandering around by yourself; you are still weak from giving birth and are susceptible to attacks," Sesshoumaru insisted as he stepped up his pace slightly and began walking beside her.

"Sesshoumaru I was susceptible to attacks, as you put it, before I had a child and I am sure I will continue to be even now. You of all people should know by now that trouble seems to follow me around," she told him, laughing a moment later when she realized what she said had a double meaning; he could have been the trouble following her that she was referring to.

Either not catching the joke or deciding to ignore it, Sesshoumaru just continued to walk beside her in silence for a moment. Though he did not openly stare at her, Sesshoumaru was careful not to take his eyes off of her as she got undressed in case anything was stupid enough to attack even with him there.

Once she was submerge in the water, he began undressing himself prompting Kagome to inquire, "What are you doing?" before quickly turning away with a blush as he began to remove his pants. For a few moments he remained silent as he quickly wrapped his hair up and stepped into the hot water.

When he was finally submerged as well, he answered, "I might as well bathe while I am here and there is no need to be shy, Kagome. This is not the first time we have seen each other without our clothing."

"Speak for yourself, Sesshoumaru. I can not see in the dark, remember?" Kagome questioned as she turned around to face him now that he had enough time to cover himself. Noticing his hair, Kagome tilted her head to the side as she studied him. "What's with the hairdo?"

"It would take far too long to dry my hair if it was to get wet," Sesshoumaru explained; ignoring the way her aura spiked slightly with envy. It wasn't hard to figure out it was only about his hair and he was used to it. The few beings he actually allowed to get closed to him had mentioned his hair more than once; especially when it came to Rin. She always had a small amount of jealousy in her aura whenever she was close to his hair.

But right now, Rin was not the human girl he wanted on his mind. The first time he went through this time, he had made sure she was well cared for; she was loved. Even if he couldn't be the one to raise her and provide for her, he knew they would. He knew he had wronged her slightly by not being near her after dropping her off, but even that would be fixed this time around. This time he would be there for her.

So it was not her, but Kagome that he wished to concentrate on. Turning his attention back to her, he found she was already picking up a heavily scented bottle of soap and took it from her before she could pour any out. His nose twitching from the strong smell, Sesshoumaru poured a little into his hand and began rubbing it into her shoulders.

Running his fingers down her back, as he gently rubbed in the suds, he smirked to himself when he felt her shiver beneath his touch. Letting his hand slid down to her lower back, he pulled her closer to him even as he captured her lips with his own. As she moaned into his lips, he slipped his tongue passed hers and deepened the kiss.

Feeling Kagome responding, Sesshoumaru moved to take it further by running his hand down her backside and caressing her inner thigh. The startled squeak that came from her as she jumped back quickly cooled him down. "I do not understand. You agreed to be my mate," Sesshoumaru reminded her confused and a bit hurt by her rejection.

"It's not that I don't want to do what that would have led to, Sesshoumaru, but I can't. I'm still too sore," Kagome explained slightly embarrassed. She knew there was no reason for her to be, it wouldn't have been their first time, but still the thought of sleeping with him made her feel like the inexperienced school girl she used to be.

As her watched her in silence, her earlier words came to mind and it dawned on Sesshoumaru that was what she had meant before. Chuckling softly to himself, he explained, "Before I had thought you did not wish to consummate our mating because there were others in the next room."

"That too," Kagome agreed, her cheeks reddening at the thought of her entire family in the past knowing what she was doing, when she was doing it. "But mainly it is just too soon after giving birth. It will be some time before I will be able to consummate our relationship."

It was only at that moment that Sesshoumaru finally understood exactly what that meant; they would be unable to join as one before his time was up. The him that knows the loneliness of 500 years without her will never know her touch again. After giving himself a few moments to grieve for this knowledge, Sesshoumaru reminded himself that in the end it would not matter.

Once his time was over and he left his younger self's body, history would be changed and he wouldn't remember never being with her again. His new self would have many chances during her lifetime. Unable to hear the thought process going on in his mind during his prolonged silence, Kagome began to worry he was upset with her.

Seeing the look of concern on her face, Sesshoumaru gave her a gentle smile of reassurance. "As long as we do not actually try to consummate our relationship, simply kissing my mate would be alright, would it not?" Sesshoumaru inquired and once she had nodded her head, he pulled her into his lap as he sat down on the edge of the springs and pressed his lips against hers once more.

_TV:JTR_ (Day six)

Just before dawn the next morning, Sesshoumaru rose silently from bed and made his way outside; unknowingly waking Inuyasha as he passed. Not sure what was going on, Inuyasha glanced around to make sure no one else was awake and followed after him. From a little ways back, he watched as Sesshoumaru walked up to the top of the hill overlooking the village and glanced back down at the hut everyone was sleeping in silently.

Confused by his brother's actions, Inuyasha stepped up beside him and waited for him to speak. "This is the original spot," Sesshoumaru informed him, only serving to confuse him further. Not sure how to respond to such a comment, Inuyasha opted instead to just look at him silently with a blank stare.

"The first time my son was born, I stood at this very spot, staring down at the hut while Kagome was in labor. I knew both of you would be aware of my presence and fear for your safety," Sesshoumaru explained and, though he was not surprised to hear this about the other Sesshoumaru, it didn't clear up his confusion any.

"I still do not understand what is going on," he admitted after almost a full minute of silence had passed between them.

"Tomorrow will be my last day here. Before dawn of the eighth day, my younger self will be back in this body and I am not sure how he will react. I know he will not hurt them, I made double sure that I would not make the same mistakes again. We our mating ritual already initiated, he will have to complete it."

Upon seeing Inuyasha's disapproving expression, he quickly assured, "It was not the only reason why I mated her; not even one of the main ones. I simply wish it was me that she would be spending her life with, instead of my younger, prideful self."

"Is there any way for you to be the one to stay in your body? I'd rather it be you too instead of your younger self. No offense, but you were a bastard," Inuyasha insisted, shrugging at his brother's slight glare.

"Sadly, no. I was only given a week and my time is almost up. I wish I could be here to explain it to my younger self, but two of the same person can not exist at the same time. I'm sure I would take things easier if I was able to explain them to myself; if that makes sense."

"Why don't you write everything down that you want yourself to know. It would be in your own handwriting so he will know it is from you," Inuyasha suggested, a bit confused why his brother didn't already think of such a thing. It was the most logical way to keep his 'other' brother calm; or at least calmer than he would normally be.

"Like the book she wrote me," Sesshoumaru whispered to himself, wondering too why he did not think of such a thing himself. Seeing the confused expression Inuyasha was giving him once more, he explained, "The day Kagome died, she gave me a book she had written about her and my son's lives.

"Some of her last words to me were to tell me to read it. I eventually did after a couple centuries, but it did not make any difference. I was just to stubborn."

"Sounds about right," Inuyasha agreed, ignoring the glare his brother sent him. "But it would be a good idea. Write your younger self and explain what has happened. And anything that will happen you wish him to know; like when Kagome will die. Not so that he could try to stop anything, just so he will be prepared. Something that would make him have to deal with his emotions, would be better coming direct from himself."


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

* * *

><p>Early in the morning, Kagome found herself being drawn back to the world of waking by a soft scratching sound coming from nearby. Knowing her son was far too young to have learned to scratch with his claws yet, Kagome wracked her mind for any possible causes for the noise but found her mind coming up blank. Deciding there was only way to get the answer, she yawned before opening her eyes; rubbing the sleep away with the bottom of her palms.<p>

Glancing over toward the noise, she was a bit surprised to find Sesshoumaru hunched over as he wrote on a scroll in front of him; the tip of his quill pen moving across the parchment the cause of the scratching. "Sesshoumaru? What are you writing?" she whispered softly, making sure not to wake the others; whose snoring she could now hear echoing in the room.

"Just something I wish to remind myself about later," he replied cryptically as he blew the ink dry before rolling up the scroll and tucking it away in his clothes before climbing back up on the futon and turning his attention toward her. Seeing she was about to ask him for more information, her curiosity working overtime as usual, Sesshoumaru decided the best course of action would be to distract her with something else. "What would you like to do today?"

"I just want to spend time with my family," Kagome informed him with a slight blush as she looked down at her hands to hide her embarrassment. It still seemed odd to refer to him as part of her family, even if it felt so right at the same time.

Apparently misunderstanding her meaning, Sesshoumaru skillfully hid his disappointment as he wished to spend every moment with her that he had left, but was not about to deny her seeing her family. "I will take you to the well after breakfast," he agreed and was about to get up when her light laughter stopped him. Startled, and wondering if he hadn't hid his disappointment as well as he thought he had, Sesshoumaru turned back to her in question; instantly catching the way her eyes seemed to sparkle as she laughed and the deepening redness to her cheeks.

"Sorry, Sesshoumaru, I meant that I wanted to spend the day with our family. I meant you," Kagome informed him, trying her best to ignore the blush on her cheeks, before thinking about what he had said. "Though it would be nice for you to get the chance to meet the rest of my family, it is just not possible."

As Sesshoumaru watched her in silence, he could tell she was not as capable of hiding her disappointment as he was and realized for the first time that she actually wanted him to meet her family. He had seen them a few times over the years whenever he was watching Inuyasha and Inu-Takeshi watching them, but he had never had the desire to meet them himself. Now, that he knew she did, he was finding that he wanted to; if only to make her happy. "It is possible, Kagome. All it would take is another rosary."

"I can't do that, Sesshoumaru!" she insisted so strongly that Sesshoumaru was momentarily startled by her sudden outburst. "Putting beads of subjugation around your neck would be degrading and I can't do that to you. Honestly I still hate myself for ever using it on Inuyasha when he wasn't actually out of control."

For a moment, Sesshoumaru sat there in silence watching as the emotions played across her face. So easy to read, it wasn't hard for him to figure out she was torn between her desire to introduce him to her family and not wanting to disrespect him. Deciding to make it easier on her, Sesshoumaru suggested, "What if we simply remove it the moment we return? You can activate it as gently as you did for our son and be sure to use a command that you would not accidentally call out instead of something common like sit or stay."

"Are you sure?" she finally asked after a moment and as Sesshoumaru nodded his head that he was, Kagome bit her bottom lip while trying to figure out the right command to use. Her stomach, however, did not want to give her the chance as it decided to take that opportunity to growl. Laughing nervously in embarrassment, Kagome informed him, "I will see if Lady Kaede has another one after breakfast."

_TV:JTR_

Glancing up the ladder at the bottom of the well, after making sure Inu-Takeshi's carrier was secure, Kagome was about to start climbing up when Sesshoumaru wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his side before leaping out of the well in one swift movement. Shrieking at the sudden movement, Kagome glared at him for not giving her any warning for a moment before turning her attention toward the audience they had as he stepped out of the well house and finally set her back down on her feet.

"Hi, Mom. I would like you to meet Sesshoumaru," Kagome introduced as she gestured to the demon lord beside her, causing her mother to tilt her head to the side in question for a moment, letting Sesshoumaru know where Kagome got the habit from, before she unsuccessfully tried to point at Inu-Takeshi without him noticing. "Yes, mother, that Sesshoumaru. This is Inu-Takeshi's father and my...," Kagome began only to pause part way through as she turned toward Sesshoumaru for a suggestion on what she was supposed to refer to him as.

Already able to figure out what had caused her pause, Sesshoumaru quickly offered, "Husband," causing her mother to gasp as her hand went up to cover her mouth. For a moment, Kagome just stared at him in question as she tilted her head to the side. "The human term works best; easier to explain. And it is what I am," Sesshoumaru explained before smiling down at Kagome's blushing face. Though the smile did not last long, it was there long enough for Kagome to notice it and return it.

Turning his attention back to his mother-in-law, Sesshoumaru continued, "It is an honor to meet you. Kagome has told me much about you." As Kagome continued staring at him for a moment, she tried to remember what all she had told him about her mother, but couldn't come up with all that much. But after a moment, she figured it was just what you said to be polite and smiled up at him once more; this time for his forethought.

"It is an honor to meet you as well, Lord Sesshoumaru. Please come in and do not pay any mind to my father-in-law, he can be a bit odd," Mrs. Higurashi warned before retrieving her grandson from her daughter and heading toward the front door as she made cooing sounds at the newborn. Taking his hand, Kagome began leading Sesshoumaru into her childhood home; silently praying her grandfather would behave himself around Sesshoumaru instead of acting like he used to when he first met Inuyasha.

Her prayers went unanswered as her grandfather started in the moment they had walked through the door. He was so focused on the demon lord that he didn't even seem to noticed that his daughter-in-law, granddaughter or great grandson was even there. "Demon begone!" he began to chant as he placed one ward after another all over Sesshoumaru's body; moving so quickly from one to another that it actually seemed as though he teleported around. Rolling her eyes at his actions, knowing the wards wouldn't harm Sesshoumaru any, Kagome waited until he had run out of wards, and Sesshoumaru was practically covered from head to toe, to say anything.

"Enough grandfather, Sesshoumaru is here as a guest and besides those wards don't work. Now go play with your great grandson," Kagome instructed, pointing over to where her mother was standing with the little boy in her arms; shaking her head at his antics. Finally noticing the others in the room, he took one look at the newborn, who was currently staring at him, and squealed before running over to him and taking him from his daughter-in-law before she knew what was happening. Kagome watched in silence as he rushed from the room as her mother quickly followed after him; calling for him to give back her grandson.

Sighing audibly, Kagome shook her head before turning back to Sesshoumaru with an apologetic smile."Sorry about these things," she began as she started to peel the sticky papers off of his skin and clothes one by one. "They're completely harmless, but we can't seem to get him to understand that and he did it to Inuyasha quite a few times when he first started coming here." After peeling off the last ward, and adding the crumbled up paper to the pile on the floor with the others, Kagome took his hand once more and began leading him to the kitchen where she could hear her mother and grandfather arguing over who's turn it was to hold him.

"Grandfather, I would like you to meet my husband," Kagome introduced, without stopping for confirmation this time, causing him to stop suddenly and turn to stare at her; giving her mother ample time to take the child from his arms and sit down at the table. "Sesshoumaru, this is my grandfather," she continued, turning back to him with a smile. For the longest time, her grandfather just stood there staring at the demon lord, looking him up and down before finally shrugging and taking a seat next to his daughter-in-law at the table.

"Well at least he managed to do one thing right by making an honest woman out of you, child," her grandfather decided as he played peek a boo with Inu-Takeshi; causing Kagome to roll her eyes. After a full minute had passed without anyone saying anything, he finally prompted, "Well don't just stand there in the doorway. Come in and sit down." Doing as instructed, Kagome waited until she had taken her seat, and Sesshoumaru the one beside it, before asking where Souta was.

"He's out playing soccer with his friends. They are getting ready for a game they have coming up next weekend," Mrs. Higurashi explained before the two delved into a conversation about what his team's chances were of winning and how well he was doing; both of them completely missing the moment of recollection that flashed in Sesshoumaru's eyes.

Too busy playing with his great grandson, even the Higurashi patriarch completely missed the look that passed over his face for a brief moment. Making a mental note to inform his younger self about an future ill-fated soccer trip, Sesshoumaru turned his attention back to the conversation just as it was changing from the younger sibling to what her mother was planning to cook for dinner.

"You two will be staying of course?" her mother question turned from Kagome to Sesshoumaru and back as she waited for one of them to answer her. Hearing Kagome start to refuse, no doubt assuming he would not want to, Sesshoumaru decided to interrupt her before she could; unable to see a reason not to.

"Thank you for the invitation. We would be happy to accept," Sesshoumaru insisted, causing Kagome to stare at him in confusion. As she went to question his decision, Sesshoumaru gently placed his hand over hers; effectively silencing her. Catching her eyes with his, he gave her a subtle hint of a smile that instantly had her relaxing and smiling back at him before she could even realize what he was doing.

Though she could not explain it, there was just something in such a gentle expression on his face that made her completely forget about her apprehension of having him eat dinner with her family and almost look forward to having him there. But as it had many times before, Kagome's mind went back to the void and she found herself wondering why he was so willing to eat human food now when he was so adamant about not eating it before. Confusion clouding her eyes, Kagome couldn't help but ask, "Sesshoumaru, can you even eat human food?" making sure to be too quiet for her mother to hear.

Though apparently it was not so quiet that Inu-Takeshi couldn't hear it as his tiny, black ears began to twitch at the sound of his mother's voice. Hiding a smirk behind her hand when her mother squealed at the sight, Kagome turned her attention back to Sesshoumaru as he answered, "I have grown accustomed to it." Confused for the second time in as many minutes by his answer, Kagome turned to him in question, but his eyes were trained on their son and he did not seem to notice her confusion.

After a while, Kagome gave up on figuring out how he had 'grown accustomed' in just nine months, since it did not seem as though he had any intention of explaining things anytime soon. Hearing a slight whine coming from her son, Kagome's confusion was completely forgotten about for the moment as she turned back toward her son and found him yawning. "Look's like it is someone's nap-time. I promise you can play with him again after he wakes up," Kagome assured them, seeing the disappointed looks on her mother and grandfather's faces as she stood and moved to retrieve her son.

Receiving no further complaints from them, Kagome gently lifted her son from her grandfather's arms before turning back to Sesshoumaru. "Let's put him to be and go for a walk. I would love to show you the rest of the shrine." Receiving his nod of agreement, Kagome called over her shoulder that they would be back in a little while before heading back out of the kitchen and making her way back up to her old room. Opening the door to her childhood bedroom, Kagome headed straight for the crib, that had been bought after her first visit with Inu-Takeshi, and gently placed him down.

Apparently tired out from the travel, he was asleep almost instantly and, for a moment, Kagome could only stand there staring down at him in awe. "He is so beautiful," she whispered softly, a bit startled when she suddenly felt Sesshoumaru's arms go around her waist, but was soon relaxing into his strong embrace with a content sigh. "Can you believe we created something so precious, so perfect?" she questioned, not really looking for an answer and perfectly happy to accept the gentle kiss on the top of her head as his.

For a long time, she refused to let the moment pass by and simply stayed in his arms, until she realized the gentle snoring of their son was putting her to sleep and decided it would best to get some fresh air. Grabbing a hold of his hand, Kagome lead Sesshoumaru back out of the room and downstairs, heading outside into the sunlight without a word. Soon enough they were making their way around the shrine at Kagome showed him all of her favorite spots until they were making their way toward a far corner of the property; overgrown with weeds.

"Oh wow, I haven't been out this far for years. Somewhere out here, there is an old grave. My grandfather says that it predates the shrine, but no one really knows who it belongs to," Kagome informed the one living being who actually knew exactly who was buried there; he had watched Inuyasha digging her grave so many years before. He could remember clearly the smell of the overturned dirt and the tears that his son and half-brother shed as they said their final farewells to the woman beside him.

He had turned and left before the dirt had even settled on top of her, deciding with her death there was no reason for him to stay any longer. She was no longer there to torment, seek his revenge on for the void. He had told himself that there was no reason for him to be around his son anymore, but Sesshoumaru would come back hundreds of times over the next few centuries. Turning his attention back to the present, Sesshoumaru watched as Kagome began to clear dead leaves and weeds off of her own gravestone; finding it to be a strange sight.

Shaking his head and deciding not to dwell on it, Sesshoumaru started to follow after her as she started back toward the main house, mumbling something about her grandfather needing to do a better job keeping it cleared, when something caught his eye. Taking a quick glance at Kagome and realizing she had not noticed it, Sesshoumaru gave it a once over before continuing on after her; giving her no indication that another marker was now there where one had not been before. He could distinctly remember visiting her grave as it had only been a few days ago, even if it was already starting to feel like a lifetime ago, and her grave maker was the only one that was nestled in this corner of the shrine.

The name, though mostly worn away by time and weather, was still barely legible to his superior sight, and he knew that his earlier decision to warn his younger self was not only the correct one, but exactly what he would apparently do. Ignoring the words he remember Inuyasha speaking about not changing the past as the outcome could always be worse, Sesshoumaru followed Kagome back inside knowing he was making the right choice. After all, there was nothing worse than the life he had already subjected her to; subjected himself to.

_TV:JTR_

Silently opening the door to the room mother and child were still sleeping in, Inuyasha peaked his head inside as he glanced around the room for any sign that anyone was still awake. He was not sure what had drawn him to the room an hour or so before dawn, but he was rather surprised to find a look of sadness etched on his brother's face. Realizing his aura had spiked in anguish, causing a slightly bitter scent to reach his nose, Inuyasha could only stand in the doorway. Unable to come in and make his presence known. Unable to walk away after seeing his emotionless brother in such a state.

Apparently noticing his presence, Sesshoumaru turned glossy eyes toward him and, not sure what else to do, Inuyasha shot him a tight lipped and less than reassuring smile. Try as he might, he could not come up with anything he could possibly say to a demon, he had hated for most of his life, that might help erase the pain he was feeling; the pain he had caused to himself. As Kagome turned over in her sleep, letting off a soft snore, Sesshoumaru turned his attention back to her and Inuyasha found himself making his way into the room.

Silently walking over to the futon, he stood behind his brother as he watched her sleeping face before realizing just how tired his brother's looked. "Did you get any sleep?" Inuyasha questioned softly after a moment, though he was sure he already knew the answer.

"No. I wish to watch them for as long as I can. After today," Sesshoumaru began, sighing softly as he glanced from Kagome to their newborn son before turning back to her. "After today, I will never get the chance again."

"True, but after today, if everything goes well, you will never have the chance to miss out on them again," Inuyasha reminded him, nearly gasping when his brother actually smiled at the thought. Deciding not to draw attention to the uncharacteristic display of emotion, especially since he wasn't sure he was actually supposed to see it to begin with, Inuyasha pretended like he had seen nothing out of the ordinary as his brother turned toward him once more.

"I intend to move into the den today. It would not bode well for my younger self to return while in the middle of the human village," Sesshoumaru admitted, both of them knowing full well the destruction the younger Sesshoumaru could rain down on an unsuspecting town. Hearing Inu-Takeshi begin to stir, Inuyasha quickly agreed and assured him that he would start packing before making his way back out of the room. Retrieving his now awake son, who was starting to cry, Sesshoumaru headed back to Kagome; gently shaking her awake so she could feed their son.


	11. Chapter 10

AN: Sorry this chapter is a bit short, but needed it to leave off where it did because the next scene is the perfect place to start the next chapter :).

Chapter 10:

With everyone helping, including Rin who helped by babysitting Inu-Takeshi, it did not take more than a few hours for them to get moved into the new den; much to Sesshoumaru's satisfaction. He knew he did not have much longer before he basically ceased to exist and he did not want to lose any more of the precious time he had left than he had to. Every minute that went by that he wasn't completely surrounded by his family, he felt was another minute he was robbed. Seven days was no where near enough time to satisfy his desire to be around them, not after 500 years of denying himself of their presence, but was even worse was that the time seemed to be passing by far too quickly.

Shutting out such depressing thoughts when he noticed Kagome making her over toward him with their son in her arms, Sesshoumaru graced her with the briefest of smiles as he waited for her to take a seat beside him. For a moment, he could only watch her in silence as the sun's rays danced on her dark hair and caused her eyes to sparkle as she returned his with a much brighter smile. Hearing a sudden giggle pierce the silence of their new home, Sesshoumaru took his eyes off of her just long enough to glance up and find Inuyasha chasing Jaken and Rin around the clearing; the latter being the one making such a joyous sound.

"You must be bored just sitting out here. Do you want to find something else to do?" Kagome inquired softly even as she followed his gaze; doubting following a game of tag would be very entertaining for the demon lord beside her. Realizing she wasn't getting an answer, Kagome turned back to him; finding he was once again gazing down at her.

Wrapping his arm around her, Sesshoumaru pulled her close before admitting, "There is no where else in the world I would rather be, Kagome." Smiling up at him softly, Kagome rested her head against his chest and turned her attention back out into the yard where Jaken was now chasing after Inuyasha and Rin; having apparently been tagged 'it'. As she watched, Inuyasha began running backwards, taunting the much smaller demon who was having problems catching up to him. For a moment, after noticing the obstacle he was quickly approaching, Kagome thought about warning him, but soon decided against it.

Tripping over the exposed tree root wouldn't hurt him any physically and he could probably do with a lesson in humility. Just as she predicted, Inuyasha soon tripped over the root, ironically in the middle of insulting Jaken for being clumsy, and landed on his backside; giving Jaken just enough time to tag him. Before she could help herself, Kagome began laughing right alone with Rin and Jaken; drawing Inuyasha's attention to her. Ignoring the mock glare he sent her way, Kagome stuck out her tongue at him before turning her attention back to her son as he started moving around in her arms.

Too busy concentrating on him and making sure he didn't need anything, Kagome didn't notice Inuyasha was making his way over to them until he was removing the child from her arms. "Your turn, Kagome. You're it," Inuyasha informed her as he gently tapped her on the shoulder before glancing down at his nephew. Realizing she had yet to move after a few minutes had passed, Inuyasha glanced back up and decided to interrupt her before she could refuse. "Kaede said that you needed to get a bit of exercise as long as you don't overdo it."

"Fine, fine," she finally relented as she stood and placed a gentle kiss on her newborn son's brow before sending Inuyasha a mock glare of her own and making her way over to where the others were waiting to be chased once more. Waiting until she was well out of ear shot, Inuyasha watched the child squirming around in his arms for a moment before turning toward his brother; finding he had already pulled out his scroll and was scribbling away on it.

Deciding not to interrupt him, Inuyasha turned his attention back to his nephew. Gazing down at the tiny being in his arms, he could not believe his brother had a hand in creating such a perfect little baby. Gently running the pad of his finger down his cheek, he found himself in awe of how soft his skin was and found himself wondering if anyone had ever thought the same of him. He knew his mother had loved him, he had never doubted that, but he knew that even she had not accepted him as much as Kagome had.

She never knew it, but he had accidentally overheard her praying on the nights when things got really hard. She would ask for the strength to accept him more, to not wish her life was easier by having had a human son instead of a half-human one. She loved him, she wanted him and she was even proud of him, but it was not unconditional; no matter how much she may have wanted it to be. But the same was not true for Kagome. From the moment she released him from the tree, she had never once looked at him differently, refused to accept him completely because he was part demon.

She had run from him, been scared of him when he tried to attack her, but it was not because of who he was but how he was behaving. Honestly, he couldn't blame her for that. Just as she had never blamed him for the things his demon half had done. Inu-Takeshi was one lucky pup to be born to a mother like her. She loved, she accepted, she cherished completely, unconditionally. Inuyasha knew in that moment, as he gazed down at his nephew as he fell asleep in his arms, he would have had a completely different life if he had a mother like Kagome.

Hearing Sesshoumaru's voice, Inuyasha was drawn back to the present and turned his attention back to him; finding him gazing down at his son with what could only be described as love in his eyes. "I will need you to give the letter to my younger self. I can not chance Kagome seeing it," he insisted without taking his eyes off of Inu-Takeshi.

"Are you sure you don't want her to know the truth? Everything you are doing to correct your mistake and end up together with her, wouldn't you want her to know just how hard to are trying to be with her?"

"No. Kagome can never find out the truth. If she did, she would refuse to 'force' my younger self to stay with her. I do not want to live without her again."

_TV:JTR_

As Sesshoumaru stood off to the side in his new room, holding his sleeping son in his arms, he watched as Kagome undressed in silence as she got ready for bed. Unaware of how important that night was, she could not imagine the turmoil going through his mind at that moment as he watched her. After tonight, never again would he, the version of Sesshoumaru in this moment, lay his eyes upon her and release just how truly beautiful she was. Even with most of her pregnancy weight still visible, her body worn out and tired, she was still more beautiful than he could ever remember her being.

Even the fiery look in her eyes as she stood in defiance of him every time he had attacked Inuyasha, which he had secretly found attractive on her even the first time he laid his eyes on her, paled in comparison to how she look in that moment; bathed in the flickering light of a single torch. Apparently noticing his gaze, Kagome turned to him in question, but instead of answering, he merely smiled at her for a moment before laying their son down in his crib. As much as he hated the thought of putting him down, knowing he would never hold him again, it was time that he held Kagome for the last time.

Turning back to her, he noticed she had already crawled on top of their futon and quickly joined her. Pulling her tight against his chest, Sesshoumaru buried his nose in her hair as he breathed in her scent; praying it would never leave him. Realizing she was looking up at him with concern in her eyes, Sesshoumaru waved away her worries with a shake of his head. "No matter what the future might bring, Kagome, always remember that by your side is exactly where I want to be." Kissing her gently on her forehead, he whispered 'good night' as he stared off toward the far wall; waiting until he could no longer feel her eyes on him to turn back.

Not wanting her to see the sadness, the longing in his eyes, it was all he could do to keep himself in check. Mentally scoffing at himself, Sesshoumaru could not believe how such a tiny creature had caused him to fall to his proverbial knee, but he would not change falling for her for all of the power in the world. She had finally made his life complete and nothing he could ever do would be anywhere near enough to thank her for it.

As he watched her, Sesshoumaru was not surprised to find her falling asleep quickly. Between having to get up early to feed their son and helping with the moving, he had already expected her to be asleep the moment her head had hit the pillow. As much as he wanted to spend as much time with her as he could, watching her sleep was just another thing he cherished that he would never be able to do again after that night. He wouldn't get to see her wake up in the morning, face still puffy from sleep, yet absolutely beautiful.

He would not get to hear her enchanting laugh or see her blinding smile. She would never again touch his cheek gently, causing a shiver to run down his spine. She would never call out his name sweetly or in annoyance again. He would never get to see her stand up defiantly for what she believed or watch her fiercely protecting her friends. But as much as he would miss out on with her, she was not the only one he would never see again. He would miss seeing his son's first steps and words. He would miss his first hunt and wound.

He would miss seeing him grow into a man. He would miss Rin growing into a woman. Becoming a wife. Becoming a mother. He would even miss his brother and Jaken and their annoying antics that usually got on his nerves. Everything he would miss out on, he had gotten to see the first time around even if it was only from the sidelines. This time, he would be robbed of it. It was the one good thing about him soon ceasing to exist, he never know that he missed out on his life because he never would. The Sesshoumaru he would become, the alternate version he was creating by coming to the past and rewriting his history, would never know the bitter feeling of being alone.

Turning back to the woman in his arms, Sesshoumaru swallowed the lump in his throat before softly admitted to her unconscious form, "It took me 500 years to realize it, Kagome, but I love you." Gently kissing her forehead for the last time, Sesshoumaru clasped her smaller hand in his own and held it against his chest; feeling her pulse sync with his own heartbeat. Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru ignored the few stray tears that fell from his eyes as he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 11

AN: Warning, only the epilogue is left after this chapter.

Chapter 11

"If you are reading this, I am already gone. As I am sure you have already figured out from my handwriting, I am you. Merely 500 years older. With the help of the undead priestess our half-brother was quite fond of, I was sent back into the past; into your body. To correct our mistake. Yes, even we make mistakes. You will probably hate me for this, though you would merely be hating your future self that will no longer exist, but I have taken things out of your hands so you will not screw them up again. I will pass onto you the wisdom I have learned in the 500 years since I was you; wisdom I did not originally know I was lacking.

We made a mistake after the void. We continued to make it as years passed one after another and we barely had contact with our son, with the mother of our heir. I know you do not want to see him as such, but it is exactly what he is and he is the only one we ever had. I spent my entire life since the void watching them from the shadows. Watching as their lives went on without me and mine stood frozen in time without them. I watched her aged until the day she died, frail and weak, and still she came to me with a book she had written about their lives so I could get to know our son.

She used the last bit of her strength to make sure I received it and to thank her I waited three hundred years to read it. And still I did not understand. For 60 years she raised our son without me and never had an ill thing to say about me; even though I gave her plenty of reasons to. She was far stronger than either of us could ever hope to be and she gave us the greatest gift we could have ever known. She gave us a child; half-demon or not. Father was not the weakened fool we believed him to be, it is those who can not change that are weak.

Our pride makes us weak and alone. I know, very well indeed, how we hated Inuyasha for what he is, could not accept our own son because he is the same, but there is something I wish I knew and understood all those years ago. Something I will now explain to you. Half-demon or not, bastard son or not, Inuyasha was loved. He was wanted and he was needed. Three things we have never known. Three things we have scoffed at, but I have come to understand the importance of them in these 500 years. He was surrounded by love and family and we were surrounded by fear and ignorance.

We may have had Jaken and Rin at our side, but we never once truly let them in. There was a reason I decided to leave Rin at Kagome's village when she came of age, I just never really understood it before now. I wanted her to be surrounded by the love our son was; that I knew Kagome would give her. Of all the things I would change, that is not one of them. She was happy there, but she can still be happy with us there too. There are also many things that can not be changed, even by me.

They will die one day, but I will make sure that I have no regrets this time when it happens. Make sure she marries the fox kit; he was a good mate to her and we could not have asked for better. He never made her cry and they had many children together. I know that she smiled on her deathbed and I do not wish to take that away from her. After the death of Kagome's mom and grandfather, neither of which can be avoided as they were natural causes, convince her to bring her younger brother back through the well. If she does not, he will soon die.

And when she dies, use Tenseiga to give her soul to the undead priestess. A deal is a deal and she may have it for the 80 years promised, but do not hesitate to remove it from her body if she refuses to give it up when her time is up. The soul must be able to be reborn or Kagome will never exist and I know that by the time this point in history comes around, you will be unable to live without her just as I am.

I know you will hate me to know this, but do not take it out on any of them. You have no one but yourself, future version though I may be, to blame for having no control in your own life. There was no other way to do this that would not result in you simply regretting the past one day as I am now. I am taking away your choice one last time as I have already started the mating process with Kagome. Forgive me, my younger self, but I do not wish to come into existence again in another 500 years. I will not let you make the same mistake I did when I was in your place."

_TV:JTR_

Minutes before the sun would be rising outside of the den, soft whines aroused Sesshoumaru from his slumber; confusing his sleep ridden mind. Slowly blinking open his eyes as he tried to figure out what had possessed him to lower his guard and allow himself to fall asleep in the first place, Sesshoumaru was shocked out of his self ridicule by a strange warmth he could feel practically surrounding him. Turning his gaze to the left, he found the priestess sleeping far more peacefully than she should ever be doing in his presence; curled up against his with her head on his chest.

Hearing the whine again, Sesshoumaru turned his attention toward a crib not far from the edge of the futon and a quick sniff of the air confirmed the sounds to be coming from the half-breed he had sired. His confusion only fueling his rising anger, Sesshoumaru began to growl deep in his throat as the girl at his side began to toss in her sleep, no doubt frightened by the sound, but was quickly silenced when he felt a warm hand being placed over his mouth.

Briefly contemplating biting the hand, Sesshoumaru turned angry eyes to the owner and found Inuyasha gesturing for him to be quiet. "Follow me," he whispered harshly before removing his hand and making his way back out of the room. More out of curiosity than anything else, Sesshoumaru silently rose from the futon and followed after his half-brother; remaining silent until they were outside of the den.

"Explain," Sesshoumaru demanded in a harsh tone as he turned to glare at his brother, but instead of answering him, Inuyasha handed him a rolled up scroll. Annoyed at his lack of response, Sesshoumaru wrenched the scroll from his fingers and quickly unrolled it. As his eyes scanned the page, reading the words left for him to see, he began growling every so often; his tone and pitch becoming angrier and louder with each growl. Once he had finished, Sesshoumaru practically roared in anger before he tossed the scroll aside and took off into the forest before Inuyasha could stop him.

Sighing heavily at the not completely unexpected reaction, Inuyasha turned his attention back to the scroll, picking it up and instantly turning his eyes to the last few lines on the page. Shaking his head at his brother for not wording things a bit more gently, Inuyasha quickly hid the scroll behind his back and turned around when he heard footsteps coming up behind him. "Where did Sesshoumaru go?" Kagome inquired more than a bit concerned having woken up to find him gone.

Putting on his best 'everything is fine' expression, Inuyasha explained, "He had something to take care of, but he will be back soon." Leading her back inside their home, Inuyasha silently prayed that Sesshoumaru wouldn't end up making a liar out of him.

_TV:JTR_

Enraged, Sesshoumaru tore through the forest as he screamed out his frustration and outrage in his mind; at his older self, at the world, at the void and at her. Turning his eyes toward the dawning sky, Sesshoumaru growled as loud and as long as he could before finally pausing to take a breath; repeating the process over and over as he prayed it would make him feel the slightest bit better. Much to his disappointment, it did not change anything. He felt exactly as betrayed and as pissed off as he had been before he started.

Spinning around, Sesshoumaru grabbed onto the closest thing he could find and ripped the giant tree from the ground with his bare hands; effortlessly tossing it aside. "How dare you?!" Sesshoumaru screamed into the empty air as though his future self was standing in front of him, able to take responsibility for what he had done; what he had forced on his younger self. "How dare you take away my right to chose my own destiny after everything I have suffered!" he continued to demand of a version of himself that no longer existed in that time, not caring if anyone had heard him as he would simply kill them before they could tell another what they had heard.

It did not matter that it had been his future self that had done it this time, when before it had been his own father and the void, it actually made it worse. No one knew better than himself what he had gone through and yet he had done it to himself. He had taken away his own choice from himself and if he was standing in front of him now, Sesshoumaru knew he would kill his future self, but even that satisfaction he was denied.

Taking a deep breath, Sesshoumaru glanced down at his palm where he knew his mating mark would be, and stared at the thin red cut for a few minutes in silence. "There is one thing I could do to take back control of my life," Sesshoumaru informed the silence around him. "All it would take would be my dying." Closing his fist so tightly that his claws nearly reopened the cut, Sesshoumaru stared down at his hand in silence for a long time before finally shaking his head at the thought of taking his own life or allowing himself to die by taking the priestess's life.

Unknowingly echoing the words of his future self, Sesshoumaru admitted to the morning sun, "Even if the beginning was against my will, or perhaps even more because of it, I will be in control of the ending. The ending I choose." Turning his back without another word, Sesshoumaru began making his way back toward the den; still angry, but no where near as much as he had been when he left it. Though he was not in as much of a rush to return as he had been to get away, it did not take him long before he was crossing the threshold into the clearing.

Instantly he spotted Rin sitting in the morning sun as she played with Inu-Takeshi as Jaken held him carefully in his arms. Glancing around and not spotting his half-brother, Sesshoumaru turned his attention to the woman standing a few yards from the group; watching their interaction with a smile on her face. Apparently noticing his reappearance, she turned toward him as her smile brightened and she began making her way over toward him as the others remained unaware of his return. Spotting something off from the demon she had fallen asleep next to the night before, Kagome stopped a few feet from him and gently inquired, "Is something wrong, Sesshoumaru?"

As a full minute passed without a word from him, Kagome began to grow concerned about his continued silence. Dreading the worst, she could barely ask, "Are you regretting your decision?" without her voice cracking under the emotions she was feeling. Once again, he didn't utter a sound as he just continued to stare at her in silence. Feeling her heart starting to break, Kagome blinked back the tears that threatened to fall before offering, "Finish the mating ritual and you are free to go. We can't stop it in the middle, but you need not stick around once it is complete.

"I will only live for a short time and after I die you will be completely free once again." Turning her back on his in a failed attempt to hide her tears even though she was sure he could smell them, she continued, "Our son is still young enough that he will not remember you. You can still leave without ruining his life." Moving to head back to the den before she broke down completely, Kagome was more than a bit surprised to find herself stopped by Sesshoumaru as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I am not the monster you think I am. I am not my father, I would never abandon my mate and son," Sesshoumaru whispered in her ear, a bit startled by his own admission. The more he thought about it though, the more he realized what he said was the truth. His father's greatest failing was not in siring a half-breed, but in abandoning his mate and heir. No matter how angry he was at her or at the situation, he would never allow himself to become the monster his father was; to follow in his failed footsteps.

"I am simply trying to wrap my mind around all that has happened," he admitted, quickly catching the look of confusion that Kagome shot over her shoulder at him. Realizing what it meant, he still couldn't help but ask, "You do not know?" Ignoring her question of what it was that she didn't know, Sesshoumaru shook his head as he replied instead, "Of course he wouldn't tell you, but it doesn't matter. Just be patient with me while I get used to the way things are now." Not giving her the chance to question his words and ignoring her still presence confused expression, Sesshoumaru stepped up beside her and began leading her back to their home.


	13. Epilogue

Epilogue:

The soft rain continued to fall down around them, unnoticed by anyone as they watched the last shovel of dirt being placed onto the growing mound before them. For a long moment, no one could say a word, utter a sound other than crying, as they just stared down at the marker placed before the grave; its occupant's name scratched into the surface by the claws of those who loved her the most. As a soft, haunting song began to echo around them over the rain, as a young woman sang a song of mourning, the others began drifting away from the grave; as proof that life goes on.

Before long, only two remained standing before her final resting place, but soon even the younger of the two walked away to join the others heading back toward their home. Minutes ticked away unnoticed by the last remaining mourner as he dropped to his knees in the mud and pressed his forehead against the cold marker in front of him. "Goodbye, Kagome. My love. My mate. We shall meet again in our next life," Sesshoumaru promised before rising to his feet once more; the simple feat taking far more energy than he could have imagined.

Feeling eyes on his back, Sesshoumaru turned around to find someone he was not entirely surprised to find standing there, waiting for him. Making his way toward her, already able to smell the scent of her death and clay body, Sesshoumaru held his tongue until he was standing before her. "I will hold up my end of the bargain our future selves struck. You can have your soul for 80 years, but after that it must be set free so she can be born in the future."

A soft chuckle escaped her lips before she informed him, "It seems my future self did not explain things clearly to yours." Thinking she was about to go back on her deal and not about to risk Kagome not being born to meet him, Sesshoumaru glared at her menacingly and was about to threaten her when she interrupted him. "Forgive me, the deal remains as it was meant to, I simply meant that I would not need the full 80 years. Once this body is blessed with a full soul, I will begin aging as I should have had I lived. I doubt I will live to be 100 years old."

Instead of responding, Sesshoumaru unsheathed his sword and gently place the tip against her forehead; allowing the soul contained within it to transfer to her body. As he watched her spirit leave him, no longer able to feel her presence surrounding him, he couldn't help but remember the last time he had used his sword. It had only been a few days previous, but to him it felt as though it had been a lifetime ago. It was the day she died and he had tried to use the sword to revive her, refusing to let her go yet even though he had known this day was coming for a long time, but the sword had refused him in turn.

It would seem that it could not bring back those that had died from natural causes and as much as he hated to admit it, as he had continued to swing his sword above her body over and over again even though the pallbearers of the underworld never appeared to be vanquished, he would have to say goodbye to her. Turning his attention back to the priestess before him as she gently laid her hand across her chest, feeling her heartbeat for the first time in over a century, he couldn't help but notice her scent of clay and death had been replaced with a much more pleasing scent of life.

Sheathing his sword once more, Sesshoumaru turned and started to head back home, before pausing for a moment to whisper, "Thank you for allowing me to correct my mistake." Walking away without another word, Sesshoumaru soon spotted Inuyasha coming toward him; confusion evident on his face. Before he could ask, Sesshoumaru explained, "A deal was made to give me the chance to have the family I had always wanted. Now it is your turn, brother. Your priestess can explain the rest to you." Placing his hand on his shoulder for a moment, Sesshoumaru nodded to his questioning expression before continuing on his way in the direction of the den.

Paying little attention to the two behind him, Sesshoumaru made his way out of the clearing near the well that would one day become her family's shrine and passed the threshold into the forest. Once the edge of the forest no longer blocked his view of its contents, he quickly spotted his son and began making his way toward him. Patiently, Inu-Takeshi waited for his father with his younger siblings and aged uncle. Once the demon lord joined them, they turned and began the long trek back to their family home.

As Sesshoumaru walked in silence, he did not bother fighting off the tears that made their way to the surface; he knew there was none there that would fault him for such a weakness. They understood that even a demon lord was allowed to cry when he lost his mate and the mother of his children. Turning his attention to the family that surrounded him, Sesshoumaru thanked his future self, for what seemed like the millionth time, for giving him what he never knew he wanted. For giving him the chance to live her life with his mate, for two more pups than he was ever supposed to be blessed with and for giving up his existence to allow him a chance at happiness that he did not deserve.

_For 500 years he had denied himself the family he had always wanted and though he had only been with her for 60 years, she had been worth the wait; even if he couldn't remember it. And even now that she was gone, he knew he would never forget the woman who had shown him how to love, who had given him three beautiful children. He knew the girl who had filled the void within his heart would never be far from his mind. _

* * *

><p>AN: Wow, I can not believe I finished this story tonight. As always I am saddened by a story I brought to life ending, but at the same time, I am happy I got to experience this story and to share it with all of you. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. With the end of this story, the void has been closed forever as there will not be a third story. Honestly I can not think of anything that could be added that wouldn't take away from the story nor a better way to end it. Bittersweet it may be, but to me it is perfect.<p>

Also if there is still any confusion, the second grave mentioned, when Sesshoumaru goes to the future, is Souta's.


End file.
